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The Minister of the Interior, Mark Owen Woyongo, yesterday said that security agencies were on high alert in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region , to deal with any breaches of the security following the enskinment of two rival chiefs for the Bolgatanga Traditional Area.

“Anything other than recourse to the due process of the law will not be tolerated in the municipality,” Mr Woyongo warned, in response to a concern raised at a meeting with the Editorial Board during a visit to the New Times Corporation.

“It is a problem for us, but there should not be any course for concern, the security personnel are on top of the situation,” he reassured.

“Government will not interfere with chieftaincy matters, but we have told them there are two ways of resolving the issue; either through the traditional council or the law court; anything short of this would not be accepted,” Mr Woyongo added.

The security alert in the Bolgatanga Municipality, considered as an oasis of peace in the region, followed the enskinment of two rival successors to the late Bolga Naba, Martin Adongo Abilba III, Paramount Chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, who died on September 26, 2013.

Joseph Apekre Nyaaba, a 35-year –old Marketing Manager of GHACEM, was last Wednesday enskinned Bolga Naba, under the name Naba Abeka Nogtaba Maltinga, by the Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Naa Bohaga Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, who had on a number of occasions, supervised the enkinment of Bolga Nabas, an action challenged by a judiciary ruling.

The kingmakers of the traditional area last Friday, also enskinned Naba Raymond Abilba, a lawyer, and eldest son of the late chief as the paramount chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, after he was installed as the regent on August 8, 2014 following the death of his father, who was also enskinned by the kingmakers in Bolgatanga over 40 years ago.

The seven royals to the Bolgatanga paramount chiefdom are Apaselum, Agandaa, Akumbosco, Atulba-Tia, Adogma-Baa, Agbeere and Agawure.