A prosecution witness in the Ya-Na's murder case Thursday set the stage for the trial when he admitted during cross-examination that there was a fight between the Abudu faction and the attendants at the Gbewaa Palace. Abukari Amadu, the first prosecution witness told the Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice E.K. Ayebi, that the Abudus launched the attack on the palace from March 24, to March 27, 2002 when the Ya-Na Yakubu Andani was killed. Amadu said the people in the palace, including the attendants had no option than to fight back with locally-manufactured short-guns and other weapons. The witness disagreed with counsel's suggestion that there was an armoury in the palace. Amadu was giving evidence under cross-examination by lead defence counsel, Philip Addison, in the trial of 14 people accused of the murder of the Overlord of Dagbon. Thirteen of the accused persons who have pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to murder and murder have been remanded into police custody. Zakaria Yakubu, a.k.a. Zakaria Forest, the seventh accused, who has been declared at large by the security agencies, is being tried in abstentia. The 13 include Iddrisu Iddi, Alhaji Baba Abdulai, Kwame Alhassan, Mohammed Alhassan Abdulai and Shabu Mohammed. Others are Alhassan Braimah, Mohammed Habib Tyani, Baba Ibrahim and Alhassan Mohammed. The rest are Mohammed Mustapha, Yakubu Yusif, Hamed Abukari Yusif and Abdulai Razak Yusif. Early on, led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Gertrude Aikins, witness said rumours went round in Yendi on March 22, 2002 that the Abudus were not going to take part in the celebration of the message. He said although the DCE agreed to come, he never did. The witness said following the failure of the DCE to honour the invitation, the Ya-Na called the Regional Minister, Prince lmoro Andani, who came to the palace on March 24, 2002 to discuss the matter. During that discussion, he said the Regional Minister asked for time to confer with the Abudus on the matter. On the return of the Regional Minister who was now accompanied by the DCE, witness said they asked for the postponement of the celebration of the festival but the Ya-Na did not agree. Based on the assurance by the Ya-Na that nothing will happen during the celebration of the festival, he said the curfew was lifted. Witness said he then left the palace to visit a friend who lived among the Abudus but he did not meet him. While he was waiting for his friend, he heard somebody remark that "we will kill the Ya-Na whether he celebrates the festival or not". Witness said he quickly ran to the palace to inform the Ya-Na of what he had heard. Other reports of attacks on some Andanis also came in just about the same time. Mr. Amadu the said there were gunshots aimed at the palace on March 25, 2002 which continued until about 8pm. On the morning of March 26, 2002, witness said the attack on the palace started and became worse on March 27, 2002 when an auto electrician came to inform the Ya-Na of his encounter with Tijani, the eighth accused at an army armoury where he (the eighth accused) asked whether "the assignment would be completed". Witness said the officer asked what time it was and then assured the accused that "it will not take long to finish the assignment. By 2pm, he said the attack on the palace had been intensified and those in the palace whontried to go out were killed, but others tried to resist. He said in the face of the onslaught, the Ya-Na sent for military protection but that never came. He said just as word was being sent to the Abudus to come for amicable settlement of the matter, "we heard shouts of "enter, enter" and all who tried to come out were gunned down. Witness said he scaled over a wall of the palace into hiding where he saw people drumming and dancing brandishing the severed arm of the Ya-Na. The case has been adjourned to September 14 for further cross-examination by the defence. Credit: The Ghanaian Times