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The Mim Traditional Council in the Asunafo North Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over what it describes as frequent violent attacks and gun threats by an �organised gang of bandits� in the area, who are said to be pursuing an illegitimate and clandestine agenda to forcibly dethrone the legitimate Chief of the area. The members of the group, who are said to always wielded guns, cutlasses, clubs and stones in their operations, are systematically trying to abort or disrupt every public function or outdoor event by the Traditional Council at Mim. A copy of the petition intercepted by The Chronicle, dated 29th December 2014, and signed by the Omanhene of the Mim Traditional Council, Okofrobour Nana Dr. Yaw Agyei II, and copied to the Minister for the Interior, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Asunafo North Municipal Chief Executive, Goaso Divisional Police Commander, the Registrar of the Asanteman Traditional Council (Manhyia), the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, and the President, National House of Chiefs, accused two persons (Benkumhene Nana Adututu Kwarteng a.k.a. Kofi Badu and Yaw Bofah) of being the leaders of the �organised gang of bandits�. According to the petition, the fully armed gang, on 26th of December 2014, launched an attack on the Omanhene and members of the Traditional Council, and obstructed their planned trip to the Mim Bour Shrine for some rituals to precede the official inauguration of the �Akwansramu Festival� on the 28th December 2014 commemorating the Asante warriors of the Ebrim Moro War, circa 1730. The statement asserted that the group blockaded the only access road to the shrine, and started firing guns and throwing stones that seriously wounded five persons, who were rushed to a Clinic in Mim. It said that the two ring leaders, Kofi Badu and Yaw Bofah, had been the source of many violent disturbances in Mim for the past twenty years, targeted at the incumbent Paramount Chief (Omanhene), Okofrobour Nana Dr. Yaw Agyei II. The petition indicted the Police Command in Mim for failing to act or deal with the group and their leaders, in spite of several assurances to maintain law and order in the area. It further said that on 23rd December 2014, the police wrote to the Registrar of the Traditional Council, insisting the event be rescheduled to different date, since an opposing force was threatening to forcibly and violently stop the festival. But, Nananom, on 25th December, met with the Police Commander, who eventually agreed that the event could commence, and that personnel would be deployed for the occasion. The Police Commander, however, failed to provide the escort. The statement further indicated that a special appeal was made by Nananom to the Police Commander to restrain the opposing group, especially, the two leaders, in the interest of peace and security in the town, but the Commander, again, failed to do so, hence the attack on the five innocent people. According to the petition, the needless disturbances from the gang did not only affect the celebration of the �Akwansramu Festival�, but also resulted in �loss of thousands of cedis in revenue to the town and many people who had prepared food, meats and drinks to feed the over one thousand invited participants,� and the huge expenses made for accommodation and feeding of the numerous dignitaries, including ministers of state, members of parliament, heads of departments, and some prominent traditional rulers in the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions, who were also invited. �The situation has deteriorated further into guerilla gunfight that has the high probability of escalating into attack and counter-attack. The situation is threatening the security and order of Mim township. The citizens are insecure, as gunshots are fired intermittently in parts of Mim town,� it said. It further asserted that: �The organised gang of bandits, led by Benkumhene Kofi Badu and Yaw Bofah, trooped through the streets of Mim and fired several hundreds of shots to terrorise innocent citizens, thereby creating tension and insecurity, and yet the Police Command did not intervene to stop the threats. �The gunshots continued to 27th and 28th December 2014. Consequently, some citizens have fled Mim township for fear of their lives.� The Petition prayed the IGP to stop the armed intimidation, violent threats and gunshot attacks, before it escalates into a major armed confrontation and bloodshed. In an interview with The Chronicle, the Omanhene of the Mim Traditional Council, Okofrobour Nana Dr. Yaw Agyei II, confirmed the council�s petition to the IGP. He expressed disappointment with the police for failing to arrest the leadership of the gang days after the incident, and appealed to the IGP to act immediately to curtail any eventualities. Efforts to reach the Goaso Divisional and Mim Police Commanders proved unsuccessful, but the Chairman of the Municipal Security Council and Chief Executive Officer for Asunafo North, Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku, in an interview with The Chronicle, also confirmed the incident. He said that he had still not received his copy of the said petition, even though he is mentioned as one of the recipients. The MCE said that the Municipal Security Council had taken certain decisions to ensure that peace prevailed in Mim, and that investigations were still ongoing. The MUSEC Chairman denied any knowledge that the group leaders were known National Democratic Congress (NDC) members. Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku passionately appealed to all the parties to maintain peace, and allow law and order to reign. Meanwhile, an independent investigation by The Chronicle has indicated that the seeming tension, firing of guns and confrontations in Mim in recent times, stemmed from agitations by the Concerned Citizens Association of Mim over what they described as the �opaque� manner in which the Omanhene of the Mim Traditional Council, Okofrobour Nana Dr. Yaw Agyei, was managing the Mim Development Fund specially allocated for the development and wellbeing of the citizens in the area. The paper�s further checks revealed that those mentioned in the petition as an organised gang of bandits are those behind the actions and inactions of the Concerned Citizens Association of Mim. They reportedly took the Omanhene to court for �poorly managing the fund, and also for not accounting to the people.� Our checks also uncovered that it took the intervention of the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Eric Opoku, to get the Concerned Citizens to withdraw the case from court for an amicable settlement. However, a roadmap, purportedly drawn to ensure the proper management of the fund, is alleged to have been violated by the Omanhene, as he allegedly rejected the parties mentioned in the roadmap (Zonal Council and Concerned Citizen Association) to be part of the Management Committee of the fund. The paper was told that the Omanhene, allegedly dressed in a war cloth (batakari with talisman), was first to declare war against the opposing party on the 26th of December 2014, and led a group of warriors, executioners and armed �macho men� to parade on the streets ready to fight their adversaries. This show, The Chronicle gathered, was also met with equal aggression and threats from the gangs, which blockaded the road to the shrine and fired shots to curtail the planned activities of the Omanhene. However, another group, which calls itself the True Concerned Citizens of Mim, also countered the claim. They told the paper that the Omanhene, after the abortion of the festival and the shooting incident that led to the injury of five persons, became furious and stormed the office of the Police Commander, and asked him to leave the town for failing to act professionally, or for allowing the gang to disrupt his festival. �The Chief then made a public declaration that whoever claimed to have had the power to disturb the peace of the area should come out and face him, but did not necessarily call for any war.� The Mim Development Fund, which was established several decades ago, was sourced from the corporate social responsibility packages of three giant companies in Mim (Ayum Timber Company, Mim Agro Company and defunct Mim Scanstyle Limited), as well as other remittances and contributions from individuals. The Concerned Citizens, according to our information, had, therefore, vowed to battle the Omanhene until their concerns were addressed. On the other hand, the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Justice Samuel Agyei, who was in acting position as Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), told The Chronicle that the office of the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister had not received a copy of any petition from the Mim Traditional Council, but confirmed the incident in the area. According to him, because the matter was largely chieftaincy, the REGSEC had tasked the police to do thorough investigations and arrest all the perpetrators.