The Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, filed an application at the High Court in Nalerigu on October 14, 2026, seeking the commitment of four individuals for contempt of court over the enskinment of Melchizedek Musah Jamung as Bunkpurugu chief on September 14, 2026.
The application accuses the respondents—Melchizedek Musah Jamung, Nyani Yoagbat, Kpari Yennue and Elisha Naan—of defying judicial processes by proceeding with the installation despite an ongoing legal dispute over the skin. The Nayiri cites Order 50 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004, and requests punishment to deter future breaches.
The dispute stems from a February 24, 2026 judgment by the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs that recommended removing Alhaji Abuba Nasimong as chief of Bunkpurugu. The Nayiri argues that the judgment recognised his authority as the sole traditional authority empowered to enskin a chief for Bunkpurugu, a skin that falls within the Mamprugu Traditional Area’s jurisdiction.
According to the affidavit, the respondents were aware of pending legal proceedings but proceeded with the enskinment. The Nayiri also notes that the Regional Security Council had applied for an injunction to restrain the installation, which was later vacated after concerns about procedural requirements were raised.
The enskinment triggered violence in Bunkpurugu, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to four others. Police are searching for the rival chief and at least six senior members of the Jamong royal family. Joint police and military teams continue operations to contain threats, with reports of farm destruction and arson involving both factions.
Dozens of Jamong family supporters have fled Bunkpurugu for communities across the Togo border, citing safety concerns. A woman who crossed into Yambour, a Togolese border community, said she was taking her grandchildren to join relatives and that even schoolchildren felt unsafe.
The High Court case is part of a broader legal battle that includes an appeal filed at the Supreme Court on August 26, 2026, and pending applications for a stay of execution of the judgment before the National House of Chiefs at Manhyia in Kumasi.
What follows will be the court’s decision on the contempt application and the continued police and military efforts to restore peace in the North East Region.
