ILLIASU TANKO, THE JOY NEWS CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NORTH EAST REGION SHOULD BE CALLED TO ORDER

We will like draw to the attention of the King of Mamprugu, the North East Regional Minister, the Regional NIB Officer of the North East Region, the Regional Police Commander for North East Region, the Municipal and District Chief Executives of the North East and all authorities that matters about the attitude of one Illiasu Tanko, a Joy News correspondent for the North East region which has the tendency of causing the peace of the region.

Illiasu Tanko is well noted for deliberately misreporting and misinforming the world about Mamprugu and bringing the name of the infant North East region and the Mamprugu kingdom to the news for the bad reasons. A close monitoring of his activities for over a year now have proven that he has an Anti-Mamprugu agenda and always wants to paint the Mamprugu kingdom and Mamprusi black before the public.

Somewhere October 2021, Mamprugu Kaya Ni Ta'ada a youth group in the Mamprugu kingdom organized a press conference in Walewale to address pertinent issues of much concern to the Mamprugu kingdom and invited various media houses to capture the press conference. When the group contacted Mr. Illiasu Tanko to cover the program as correspondent for Joy News in the region, he was curious in knowing the content of the presser before program and when his pressure was too much on the organizers, they gave him a gist that they're going to talk on a wide range of issues including Lukula. 

Immediately the name of Lukula was mentioned and knowing very well about the tension in that area, Mr. Illiasu Tanko informed the West Mamprusi Municipal NIB Officer and the MCE about a planned press conference on Lukula and the youth had a tough time with the NIB Officer before the program could come on when in actual sense the press conference had nothing to do with Lukula.

The press conference at Walewale in October 2021 was actually in response to false claims in a media interview by one Prof. Agbango who sought to twist history about descendants of Naa Gbewaa and the Bawku traditional area. In response to Prof. Agbango's claims, the press conference was entitled "BAWKU HAS NO CHIEF AND THERE IS NOTHING LIKE KUSAUG TRADITIONAL AREA: A REACTION TO PROF. AGBANGO CLAIMS AND MATTERS ARISING" 

After covering the press conference and been paid by the organizers, Mr. Illiasu Tanko refused to air the program and when he was questioned as to why the program was not aired, he said his producer said that when he googled Bawku has a Chief so he won't publish the story. He however failed to return the money that was paid to him by the organizers.

In one of his Anti-Mamprugu agenda, he granted an interview with the Paramount Chief of the Soo traditional area and tricked the Revered Chief into making certain unpalatable statements and went forward to publish that story that almost caused problems for the Chief.

The King of Mamprugu and Fulani Herdsmen in the kingdom in some time back had issues with Royalties that brought National leadership of the Fulani community in Ghana to Nalerigu and that issues was addressed amicably but Mr. Illiasu Tanko went and published that story as "Tension between Mamprusi and Fulani" causing unnecessary fear and panic and printing a picture as though there was a conflict between Mamprusi and Fulani.

In his recent Anti-Mamprugu antics, he uses a Facebook wall with name "Alhaji Geronimo Ekia" in making all sought of provocative post against Mamprusi and the Mamprugu kingdom with regards to the Bawku conflicts. He has been doing this for quite sometime now and anyone that follows his Facebook wall will attest to it. He uses unprintable words like "Obscurantist" "Anarchist" to describe our family in Bawku. Knowing very well that Bawku is part and parcel of the Mamprugu kingdom and Mamprusi all over are pained by the happenings in Bawku.

On Sunday 1st January 2023, a Bawku board passenger Bus with registration number AC-393-22, was traveling from Bawku in the Upper East Region to Accra when it was attacked at Sayoo close to Walewale by armed robbers. According to Asaase radio's Alhassan Dokurugu, two of the suspected armed robbers were overpowered and beaten to death by residents of Sayoo. 

This was purely a Robbery scene and had nothing to do with the conflict in Bawku involving Mamprusi and Kusaasi. But Mr. Illiasu Tanko quickly went to his Facebook wall and wrote "Confidence #TL229 #Witness 

A vehicle traveling on the N10(Tamale - Walewale axis) was attacked/hijacked by unknown armed men.  Incident not clear but witnesses say links to #Bawku. Details later" 

It can be seen clearly that Illiasu Tanko write up suggest that the action was taken by Mamprusi in connection with the happenings in Bawku.

If indeed the attack was done by Mamprusi as Mr. Illiasu wants to print out there, how come two of the robbers were lynched by residents of  the community by same Mamprusi?

This attitude of Illiasu Tanko points to the fact that he has an agenda against Mamprugu and the North East region and he should better be handled properly before he cause conflict in the peaceful North East region.

The King of Mamprugu and all authorities that matters in Mamprugu and the North East Region should as a matter of urgency nib Mr. Illiasu Tanko in the bud before he causes problems for us in the region. He will not report on the good aspect of Mamprugu that promotes unity like the recently celebrated Gbewaa Homecoming Festival, but he is always quick to report on the negative part of the kingdom to paint the Mamprugu kingdom black.

Attached are posts of Illiasu Tanko on his Facebook wall with user name as "Alhaji Geronimo Ekia"