Doing funeral rites of Na Salifu Dawuni is not a favour – Family

Elders and family members of the late Na Salifu Dawuni say the performance of the final funeral rites of the late Chief is not favour being done them by the Northern Regional Security Council. According to them, whatever that was done was their rights, and must be allowed to perform any subsequent rights. The funeral rites which are the three and seven days Islamic prayers also known as ‘adua’, Quran recitation, and the enskinment of a regent amidst drumming and dancing, according to the family are age-long traditions that accompany funeral rites of royals, which they will not compromise on them. The Northern Regional Security Council before approving the burial of the almost four years mortal remains of the late Nakpa-Na Salifu, reached an agreement with the Nakpa family to only bury the chief at his private residence in Bimbila and not perform any funeral rites including the enskinment of a regent  until the family reaches another agreement with REGSEC on the next line of action. But the directive was disregarded as the Nakpa family barely 24 hours after the burial of the late chief issued a press release indicating that a regent had been enskinned with the skin title Sung Naa. The family’s spokesperson Mustapha also revealed that “the family did not reach any such agreement with REGSEC but rather requested for seven clear days to enskin a regent and perform the funeral rites and that can be seen in the minutes of the last meeting we had with REGSEC”. They insisted that funeral rites of “even commoners are done alongside Quran recitation and prayers, talk more of a Chief”. He asked the Inspector General of Police David Asante Appeatu and his team to abreast themselves with the customs and traditions that follow the burial of Chiefs from the Gbewa lineage, indicating that their late father will not be an exception in the history of the Gbewa lineage. They therefore insisted on getting clearance to perform all “legitimate rites of their father”. They also sent a caution to “traditional authorities that will attempt stopping us from performing such activities when the day comes will have to face us”. They are seeking for security protection again to undertake these rites and want the IGP to send their request to the Presidency. By Zubaida Ismail | TV3|editors.3news.com