Bolgatanga court convicts two for defying injunction in Biu chieftaincy dispute

The Bolgatanga High Court has found two men guilty of contempt for ignoring a court order that barred them from organizing funeral rites for a late chief and from installing a new leader in Biu.

The case was brought by Naba Clifford Tandagre Wongrekugre, Paramount Chief of the Kologo Traditional Area, with support from Naba Akantanba Ninga II. They had secured an interim injunction on June 20, 2025, restraining Joshua Akuntuba Afaa and Mr. Ananga Augustine from holding the funeral of the late Afaa Akankuba or enskinning Mr. Afaa as Biu chief.

Despite being served with the order, the respondents went ahead the next day to stage ceremonies where Mr. Afaa was symbolically outdoored and dressed as chief.

Justice Ernest Pascal Gemadzie, presiding over the matter, dismissed preliminary objections from defense counsel, who argued the contempt motion was defective because it lacked a penal notice. The judge ruled that once the respondents had actual knowledge of the injunction, their disobedience amounted to contempt.

The court noted that Mr. Augustine, then secretary of the Biu Traditional Council, acted negligently by failing to inform regents and kingmakers after receiving the injunction. Mr. Afaa, though not directly served, was found to have been aware of the order on June 20, yet proceeded with his outdooring on June 21.

Justice Gemadzie emphasized that deliberate defiance of court orders erodes public trust in the judiciary and must be addressed firmly.

Although both men were convicted, the court chose a reconciliatory approach in sentencing. Justice Gemadzie rejected calls for imprisonment or fines, instead directing the convicts to sign a six-month bond to be of good behaviour and to maintain peace.

He cautioned that the ruling should not be viewed as a “victory flag” for any side but rather as an opportunity for unity in the Biu community.