The leadership of the Anbariyya Sunni Community of the Tamale Metropolis in the Northern Region, has rubbished the media reports about the recent Tamale High Court ruling on the case involving Anbariyya and the family members of the late Professor Abubakari Alhassan (Chief Gushee Naa).
According to the leadership, the media report about the ruling was untrue hence, people should disregard it.
“We are appealing to all and sundry to disregard any misinformation peddled in the media including social media regarding this case”, they appealed.
It is reported on several news platforms and social media that the Tamale High Court through its ruling on the case between Anbariyya and family of the late Gushee Naa Professor Abubakari on Monday January 30, 2023, had ordered the Anbariyya Islamic Institute to vacate with immediate effect their illegal occupation of the structures of the Technical University College located at Vitting of the Tamale Metropolis.
However, Mr. Iddrisu Alhassan Tabkoha, who addressed the media on behalf of the leadership of Anbariya at a press briefing on Saturday February 18, 2023, explained that, “the general public has constantly been misinformed that Anbariyya is occupying the structures in the eastern campus at Vitting illegally.
“Let me state for a fact that an interlocutory injunction was filed against Anbariya praying the court to injunct and restrain Anbariya from continuing to occupy the eastern-block of the Senior High School”.
He further stated, “the court was of the position that the defendant applicant seeking an interlocutory injunction must first establish his rights to the property in dispute before the court of law. The court therefore did not grant the application and awarded a cost of Gh¢ 2,000 against the defendant applicant hence, Anbariya’s occupation of the block is within the frame of rule of law”.
Mr. Iddrisu Alhassan Tabkoha, thus called on the Tamale Mertopolitan Security Council (METSEC), Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the Chief Justice to facilitate speedy adjudication of the case.
Read the full Statement Below
OFFICIAL PRESS BRIEFING ON THE LEGAL TUSSEL BETWEEN THE ANBARIYA
ISLAMIC INSTITUTE AND SOME FAMILY MEMBERS OF LATE PROFESSOR ABUBAKARI ALHASSAN (GUSHEE NAA)
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, leadership of the Anbariya Sunni Community and I welcome you to our press briefing as regards the legal entanglement between our Institute and some family members of late Professor Abubakari Alhassan.
We particularly thank Allah for the privilege of good health, sound mind, and the very rare privilege of Islam. Let me take this opportunity to extend my profound gratitude to the Supreme Leader of the Anbariya Sunni Community, Sh. Saed Abubakar Zakaria under whose wise council and leadership we continue to leap frog from one success to another. May I also take the opportunity to pray for Allah’s mercy for our foundation leader and forebearers under whose stella leadership Anbariya took a declared flight, I repeat a flight not fright and not retribution. In the same tone may I salute the gallant legal representation of the Institute for a good job done so far.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, before I delve into the substantive matter, permit me to take us through the memory lane. The Anbariya Sunni Community began in the early 1940s by the Islamic renaissance activities of Sheikh Yusuf Sualih Ajura (Afa Ajura). Afa Ajura started his da’wah by preaching from village to village, town to town and later teaching the Quran and Hadith in his Sakasaka home. This grew to become the Anbariya Islamic Institute in 1951. The pioneering students were 24 in number with the current leader of the community being one of them. Afa Ajura sacrificed everything to realize the dream and vision of practicing an unadulterated Islam in Ghana and beyond. With his vision, resilience, determination and strive,
Anbariya has developed into the biggest “Islamic Institute” in Ghana and one of its kind in West
Africa. Anbariya now has over fifty (50) pre-tertiary branches and two (2) tertiary branches (the
Arabic College of Education and the Anbariya Technical University College) across the nation providing learning opportunities to many in quest to learn.
The core mandate of the community has always been and remain to train and to equip the youth and the ummah with knowledge and sound Islamic value systems. This resolve got it to start the Anbariya Technical University College, the landed property and ownership of which is a subject of ligation under the instance of the leadership of the Anbariya Sunni Community. The Community preaches and stands for peace in its dealing as manifest in the current legal brouhaha. Though our community had the resource and human might by the grace of Allah to take what rightfully belongs to it, after the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) committee report, it chose to go to court when the defendant failed to respect the ruling of the REGSEC Committee. Now on the main theme of this press briefing:
GENESIS OF THE PROBLEM
The construction and subsequent administration of the Anbariya Technical University was entrusted in the hands of late Prof. Abubakari Alhassan by the Anbariya Sunni Community. Let me state unequivocally for want of clarity that Prof. Abubakari was employed as a consultant to the project and was paid US$25,000 for his services. He was then made a trustee for the Anbariya Technical University College after its commissioning in 2004. He Prof. Abubakari Alhassan along the line unilaterally and dubiously changed its name from Anbariya Technical University College to Technical University College, Tamale (TUCT).
This did not go down well with the leadership of the Institute and they thus demanded handing over of the University College back to Anbariya and its leadership. Prof. Abubakari Alhassan was adamant to doing so. He subsequently reported the matter to the then Reagent of Dagbon, His Royal Majesty Kampakuya Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani now Yoo Naa.
The Kampakuya Naa, requested the Northern Regional Security Council to conduct an independent investigation into the matter and to ascertain the true owner of the Technical University, this was how the work of the REGSEC committee began.
THE REGSEC REPORT
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, even before I read to you key recommendations of the committee, permit me to share with you the composition of the membership of the committee as follows;
1. Six Garrison Command represented by Air Commodore Philip Ayisa
2. Economic and Crime Office represented by Mr. J. T. Addico
3. Attorney General Department represented by Mr. Salia Abdul-Quddus
4. Ghana Education Service represented by Mr. Patrick Yeboah Manu
5. Tamale Metropolitan Assembly represented by Mr. Akwettey Sampson
6. Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council represented by Mr. Sobul-Haque Fuseini.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, this was the committee of REGSEC under the instance of Kampakuya Naa not Anbariya and its leadership.
Friends from the media, let it be noted again that, the committee was established with the mandate to investigate into the underlying facts pertaining to the true ownership of the then Anbariya Technical University College now Technical University College, Tamale guided by the main objective “to ascertain the true owner of the Institution and how it was established”. The committee and its work revolved around five (5) main terms of Reference:
1. Land acquisition
2. Source of funding
3. Original name
Registration and accreditation processes
5. Existence and composition of College Council, if any, of the University College.
Compatriots and colleagues from the Media fraternity, permit me to touch on at least two of the terms and reference of the committee.
Land acquisition and Source of funding
According to the REGSEG report, the land was acquired by Anbariya from Vitting Lan Sayyibu Yaban and confirmed by the then Gulkpegu Gbanglana and now Lamashei Naa Alhaji Ziblim Abdulai in 1999. There is an allocation letter to this effect (emphasy is mine).
On funding, the funding for the project was donated by Islamic Development Bank to Anbariya Islamic Institute. This was confirmed by Prof. Abubakari Alhassan himself (see Page 18 of the REGSEC Report).
Recommendations of the REGSEC Committee
In view of the findings of fact made above, the committee hereby made the following recommendations:
1. That the University College should revert to its original name of Anbariya Technical University College
2. That even though Prof. Abubakari Alhassan played a useful role in the establishment of the University College, his continued involvement in the affairs of the University College would not promote peace as there is so much animosity, distrust and bad blood between him and Anbariya Islamic Institute. He should therefore be relieved of any role he is currently plays at the University College.
3. That an interim management committee should be put in place as an interim measure to manage the University College until proper aadministrative structures are put in place for the running of the University College by Anbariya Islamic Institute.
4. That an inventory of property belonging to Anbariya Islamic Institute should be taken and a proper handing over should be done by Prof. Abubakari Alhassan to the Anbariya Islamic Institute.
5. That students of the University College should not be moved to any other campus as they are students of the Vitting Campus.
6. That Academic staff of the University College should be maintained as they are being paid from school fees paid by the students.
One may ask consequentially that if the committee adjudicated in favour of the Anbariya Sunni Community, why did the community wait so long? Your response lies in the words of the current
Yoo in paragraph three (3) of letter reference GB/PL/11/6, 2nd August, 2011. “the Gbewaa Palace has learnt that the graduation of the final year students is being stalled because of directives from your committee on the affiliation of the institution which was not part of the work of my request”.
Paragraph four continues “it is essential that all parties concerned should ensure that students do not suffer from the work of the committee.” This admonition from the then Overlord guided our approach to everything after the decision of the committee. The students were always the paramount basis for the human face leadership of the Anbariya Islamic Institute constantly attached to every process and procedure. It is still that same spirit that will make it difficult to reason with anybody requesting we remove over 2,000 students from a location we patiently relaxed demand for ownership subject to the welfare of less than 100 students TUCT at the time.
LEGAL ASPECT
Now to the aspect that gained so much traction and has become a source of misinformation and disinformation by the disgruntled family of the Late Professor. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, let me bring to your notice, that the general public has been served a great deal of misinformation as regards the case or cases before the Court of Law. They are as follows;
1. The Substantive Case (that is the main case)
2. The Appeal Case
3. Contempt of Court which is in the High Court
4. Appeal against the Contempt
5. Assault case which is in the Circuit Court.
6. The Interlocutory Injunction by the defendant applicant
Let’s briefly look into aspects of the cases without prejudices to the matters before judges and the courts.
THE SUBSTANTIVE OR THE MAIN CASE (IN THE HIGH COURT)
The substantive matter in the High Court is for the declaration of Title to the ownership of the Anbariya Technical University College and the Land. This case was filed by Anbariya Islamic Institute in 2019.
THE APPEAL CASE (COURT OF APPEAL)
Appealed by Anbariya Islamic Institute against judgement on the request by the defendant applicants to change their pleadings which was unceremoniously granted when the case had almost run to a conclusion.
CONTEMPT OF COURT (IN THE HIGH COURT)
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, another aspect of our case is the contempt of Court, which is at the High Court.
Seven people were charged on Contempt of Court by Dr. Osman Alhassan as an interested party over the construction of 10-unit open top urinary pit for the student-boys of Anbariya Senior High School. A judgement was delivered and an appeal has thus been made against the ruling. We are therefore waiting for the Appeal process to take its due course despite the glaring gaps in the ruling herein delivered and the many reservations we hold against it, as believers in the rule of law, we decline further comments on the case of the defendant applicant as our lawyers are pursuing the matter through the courts to get what is in our view an anomaly corrected.
INTERLOCUTORY INJUNCTION
The general public has constantly been misinformed that Anbariya is occupying the structures in the eastern campus at vittin illegally. Let me state for a fact that an interlocutory injunction was filed against Anbariya praying the court to injunct and restrain Anbariya from continuing to occupy the eastern-bloc of the senior high school.
The court was of the position that the defendant applicant seeking an interlocutory injunction must first establish his rights to the property in dispute before the court of law. The court therefore did not grant the application and awarded a cost of 2,000 against the defendant applicant. Hence, Anbariya’s occupation of the block is within the frame of rule of law.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anbariya is law-abiding and have confidence in the judicial system. That is why we took the matter to court.
We appeal to all in sundry to disregard any misinformation peddled in the media including the social media regarding this case.
We also appeal to the public to disregard the misinformation that Anbariya said it was getting impatient over the court processes and will therefore take the law into our hands. We took the matter to court because of our confidence in the court system to find justice for us.
We call on the Ghana Education Service to develop interest in the matter, we also call on Metro Security Council (METSEC) Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the Chief Justice to facilitate speedy adjudication of the case.
Finally, we send this SOS call to government to take leading interest in the matter and ensure that justice is done and done rightly.
Anbariya is not and has never been impatient but we resolve to resist any attempt to unlawfully take what belongs to the general public to a kleptomaniac few families and friends.
Long live Anbariya Sunni Community! Long live Dagbon!! Long live Ghana!!! Allah bless us all.
I thank you all for listening.
Story By: Alhassan Yakubu |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana
