The Accra High Court has granted bail to Alhaji Seidu Abagre, a key figure in the protracted Bawku chieftaincy dispute, in the sum of GH₵100,000 with two sureties, after more than a month in custody.
The decision was taken on Monday, February 9, 2026, following a significant shift in the state’s legal position.
This follows the Attorney-General Department’s decision to waive its earlier opposition to the bail application, which had previously been denied on grounds of public safety and national stability. The reversal cleared the way for the court to admit the 79-year-old retired teacher to bail.
Alhaji Abagre is facing four criminal charges, including acting as a chief without qualification, provocation of riot, offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace, and fighting with weapons.
Prior to the ruling, he had been in custody at the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) since his arrest on December 24, 2025, after security forces removed him from Bawku amid escalating tensions.
The High Court had earlier refused bail on January 19, 2026, after the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, argued that releasing Abagre could endanger the fragile peace in Bawku.
His lawyer, Martin Kpebu, has consistently maintained that his detention was unconstitutional, insisting that the charges preferred against him were misdemeanours.
The Bawku chieftaincy conflict is a long-standing struggle over the Bawku Skin between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups.
In 2025, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, led a high-level mediation process aimed at restoring calm.
In a report submitted to President John Dramani Mahama on December 16, 2025, the Asantehene recommended that Abagre be recalled to Nalerigu to serve in a different traditional role, or remain in Bawku strictly as a private citizen.
He further affirmed that the law recognises Asigri Abugrago Azoka II as the sole legitimate Bawku Naba.
However, the Nayiri of Mamprugu, Naa Bohugu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga II, rejected the mediation outcome, describing it as “procedurally flawed” and “unilaterally imposed,” arguing that it went beyond mediation and amounted to a judicial determination.
Despite the rejection, security agencies acted on December 24, 2025, removing Alhaji Abagre from Bawku and placing him in NIB custody, leading to his prolonged detention until thr bail decision.
