President Mills: I’m frustrated at ruling on Ya-Na
President John Evans Atta Mills on Thursday said he was frustrated by the ruling of an Accra Fast Track Court that acquitted and discharged 15 persons, who were standing trial for the assassination of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, Overlord of Dagbon Traditional Area.
The Court on Tuesday acquitted and discharged all the 15 on three counts of rioting, conspiracy to murder and murder.
President Mills said he shared the frustration, grief and pain of the people of the Northern Region, where the late King was murdered in cold blood.
He said he had not abandoned his trip to the Region and was considering going there to interact with the people to see the way forward.
President Mills, who was speaking at a press conference at the Osu Castle in Accra, said: “We will continue to pursue whatever initiative to ensure that we find the killers of Ya-Na,” adding that he had had the opportunity of meeting some opinion leaders from Dagbon.
President Mills said unsolved murders were no credit to the judicial system and gave the assurance that the Government would continue to do what was necessary to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.
He said Government was yet to get the contents of the ruling, which it would study and later issue a statement.
President Mills said despite the ruling being described as brilliant and the accompanying jubilation in some circles, the fact still remained that the Ya-Na was murdered.
“I want the people of Ghana to join us in the search for the people who killed the Ya-Na”, President Mills appealed, and said that Government had in no way politicised the matter.
The President recalled that the search for the murderers of Ya-Na Andani II was a manifesto pledge of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), which he repeated in a State Of The Nation Address to Parliament, reiterating that the search for the killers of the King would be pursued.
President Mills rejected the suggestion that Government was politicising the issue of Ya-Na’s assassination.
While recalling Government’s promise of building bridges to ensure an independent judiciary, and expand facilities for social systems, President Mills said the search for the killers of the Ya-Na did not amount to politicisation.
“I owe nobody any apology to do so, until we are able to find the murderers of the Ya-Na, we cannot rest,” President Mills said.
On his recent trip to the Upper East and Upper West Regions, President Mills said he was more than satisfied with the support of the people.
He described as overwhelming the number of projects that were being worked on and pledged that the projects would be completed.
Source: GNA