Traditional leaders from the Sampa Traditional Area in the Bono Region have appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to urgently intervene in what they describe as an escalating chieftaincy crisis threatening peace and stability in the area.
Addressing a press briefing at the International Press Centre in Accra on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the chiefs said the situation in Sampa, the district capital of Jaman North, has reached a critical stage and requires decisive action from the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.
According to the traditional authorities, the press engagement was not a routine exercise but a desperate call for justice and protection for the people of the area.
“We speak today [March 12] not only with urgency but with pain. What is happening in Sampa is not merely a traditional disagreement; it is a crisis that is escalating and threatening to spiral beyond control,” the traditional leaders stated.
They explained that Sampa is home to more than 20,000 residents and serves as the administrative capital of the Jaman North District in the Bono Region. The town is also a major cashew trading hub and an important border town supporting cross-border trade between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
The leaders warned that prolonged instability in the town could disrupt livelihoods and negatively affect economic activities in the region.
They recounted that the succession dispute over the Sampa Paramount Stool had been under mediation for nearly two decades and was eventually handled under the authority of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
After years of customary arbitration and consultations, the Afia Takyiwaa family was granted the right to nominate a chief. Nana Samgba Gyaflaa II was subsequently nominated and later gazetted under Ghanaian law.
However, the chiefs lamented that resistance from opposing factions has created tension and violence within the community.
They therefore appealed to President Mahama to ensure that the rule of law prevails and that state institutions enforce decisions already recognised by law.
“The people of Sampa look to the President for protection. Early intervention will prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” they said.
