The Akyode Youth Association (AYA) has submitted a demand for the dismissal of the Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong, and the Nkwanta South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Joseph Awal Antwi.

In a strongly worded press statement released on Monday, 23rd March 2026, the association accused the two appointees of sabotaging the peace process and presiding over a "reign of terror" against the Akyode people.

While commending President John Dramani Mahama for his sustained commitment to resolving the long-standing conflict in Nkwanta, the AYA maintains that the local representatives of the state have become an obstacle to reconciliation.

The youth association alleges that both the Regional Minister and the MCE have abandoned the principle of neutrality required for conflict resolution.

According to the group, the officials have openly sided with the Adele and Challa factions, acting as "licences of impunity" for lawlessness.

The Regional Minister is accused of declaring a legitimate owner of Nkwanta lands in April 2025 based on documents from only one party, without granting a fair hearing to others.

The group claims that in June 2025 alone, over 17 Akyodes, including women and minors, were unlawfully arrested and transported to Accra. They further allege that over 50 elderly people and minors were recently detained during a joint security operation in Shiare.

The AYA claims the Minister cancelled a scheduled reconciliation meeting between Akyodes and Konkombas and ordered other mediators to take their hands off the matter.

The association alleges that the appointees oversaw military operations that led to the burning of Akyode shops and the death of civilian Lucas Atabaso in October 2025.

The statement, signed by David Suglo, dismissed recent government-sponsored peace walks and unity quizzes in the municipality as deceptive PR exercises.

The AYA argues that these events mask a deeper reality of "undignifying treatment of women" and "malicious torture" that has left wounds too deep to heal under the current leadership.

"Allowing them to continue to stay in office is only a recipe to perpetrate further injustices and abominations that have the propensity to plunge Nkwanta into an even greater irredeemable mess," the statement warned.

The AYA is now urging President Mahama to relieve both officials of their positions to restore the rule of law and protect the neutrality of the state’s security apparatus.

The youth group insists that until the "shameless bias" at the regional and municipal levels is addressed, the President’s heavy investments in Nkwanta’s peace-building will continue to be undermined by those tasked with implementing them on the ground.