Heavy Security At Kato After Bloody Chieftaincy Clash

From Michael Boateng
It was bloody scene at Kato, a village near Berekum in the Brong-Ahafo Region on Monday, May 23, 2016, which led to the death of one person, with several others sustaining injuries in yet another chieftaincy clash.

The clash is as a result of a protracted chieftaincy dispute which has bedeviled the Kato Village since 2001, after the death of Nana Kwadwo Kyere, the then Chief of Kato. A search for the replacement for Nana Kwadwo Kyere has been a tug of war between the Minimini Royal family and the Nneantene Royal family, thereby creating chaos among the people of Kato.

Information gathered by The Chronicle indicates that the bloody clash was a result of plans by the Minimini Royal Family, led by the Obaapanyin of Kato, Nana Afia Siraa Ababio, to install a chief.  The move by the Obaapanyin agitated the Nneantene Family, which protested vehemently, because, to them, there was already a chief in Kato, who is from the Nneantene Royal family.

One faction blocked a road to protest the installation of the new chief, while the other faction blocked another road, resulting in the chaos. The two factions pelted each other with stones, which led to the exchange of gunfire and the subsequent death. The Nneantene Royal Family was protesting against the Obaapanyin of Kato from installing one Kwabena Owusu Ansah as the chief, because the family and their supporters disregard Nana Afia Siraa Ababio as the legitimate Queenmother of Kato.

Police from Sunyani and Berekum stormed the Kato township amidst firing of warning shots to disperse the feuding groups.  In an interview with the Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Christopher Tawiah, he said there was peace at the village following the heavy presence of the police. He said no arrest has been made, because the police command does not want to foment the situation with a hasty arrest, but was doing the necessary investigations to arrest anyone found culpable.

The Genesis
It could be recalled that, The Chronicle, in one of its editions, published a story with the headline, “Kato Chieftaincy Dispute Out of Control?” where  the Nneantene Royal Gate of Kato near Berekum accused the Paramount Chief of Berekum, Daasebre Dr. Amankona Diawuo, of engaging in double standards over the Kato chieftaincy dispute.

In the press statement issued by the Nneantene Royal Family, the Adehyepanyin of Kato, Nana Kwadwo Oppong, indicated that the Paramount Chief of Berekum did not heed the outcome of a committee he set up in 2014 to settle the matter, and which ruled that the Nneantene Royal Family should be allowed to rule Kato, because they were the legitimate ones to do so.

According to Adehyepanyin Nana Kwadwo Oppong, not long after the committee's ruling, the Kato Baapanyin, Nana Afia Siraa Ababio, sent a different person to the Berekumhene's Palace, who was warmly welcomed by the Omanhene and his elders, contrary to his own committee's ruling. The Nneantene Family, which appeared at the Omanhene's palace to complain about the happenings, was told to take the matter up to where it deemed fit.

Nana Kwadwo Oppong continued that the Berekum Omanhene had disrespected the Asanteman Council, because the council had told him to disregard Nana Afia Siraa Ababio as Obaapanyin of Kato, due to her refusal to appear before Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on several occasions.

The Nneantene Royal Family could not understand why the order from Manhyia, indicating that the Obaapanyin of Kato, had been de-stooled, so the Berekum Chief should have nothing to do with her in regards to custom, yet the Omanhene of Berekum refused to do that, but rather strengthened ties with her, by making her represent him at several functions.

The Nneantene Family sees that as gross disrespect to Otumfuo, because the Berekum Paramount Chief owed allegiance to the Manhyia Palace long before 1935. In this regard, the Nneantene Family wants to state that they are descendants of Asante Asaamang, in the Ashanti Region, and owe no allegiance to the Berekum Stool and its chief, but to the chief of Asaamang, who has been swearing oaths to enstool and de-stool chiefs at Kato ever since they migrated to their present location, Kato.

Again, they want the Omanhene of Berekum to stay off their issues, because they believe he has taken sides, hence his penchant to maintain Nana Afia Siraa Ababio, who has been de-stooled by the Asanteman Council. According to them, Kato has a chief, who is Nana Amankona Febiri Amoayi II, and not one Kwabena Owusu Ansah, who is sponsored by Nana Afia Siraa Ababio, and purporting to be the chief of Kato.

Kato has no Queenmother, because Nana Afia Siraa Ababio has been destooled, and they will enstool one soon.  The Berekum Omanhene can never impose a chief or a Queen on them, and if he dares try them, the royal family will resist it, they said. All these were signs and notification to alert the Berekum Municipal Security Council to stop the recent bloody clash from happening.

The Chronicle investigation has it that currently there is relatively calm, but some of the youth have vowed to prevent the Obaapanyin and her preferred chief, Kwabena Owusu Ansah, from entering Kato, because they alleged that after the clash on Monday, the Queenmother went to Berekum to install Kwabena Owusu Ansah as the Chief of Kato.