Worawora: Community, Police, and a Decade-Long Chieftaincy Dispute

Obaasima Nkosuoheme Nana Ama Anowaa Nyarko

About Worawora
Worawora is a town located in the Oti Region of Ghana, specifically in the Biakoye District. The people of Worawora trace their origins to the Asante Kingdom and migrated from Kuntanase during the reign of Otumfuo Opoku Ware I in 1732, settling in their present location in 1774.

According to historian and lawyer Nana Obiri Boahen, the people of Worawora are from Kuntanase in the Ashanti Region. History has it that as a result of some chieftaincy problems, they moved from Kuntanase between 1620 to 1625. They first settled at Nkonya in the Oti Region before one of their chiefs, known as Kyerekyere, moved to present-day Worawora about 400 years since their ancestors left Kuntanase.

Despite being situated in the Oti Region, Worawora's deep Asante roots have always meant that its traditional affairs are closely tied to the Manhyia Palace a fact that sits at the very heart of its long-running chieftaincy crisis.

The Decade-Long Chieftaincy Dispute
Origins of the Crisis
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, presided over the installation of Nana Yaw Safor Baah III as the new Paramount Chief of the Worawora Traditional Council in 2024, in an event that effectively ended a decade-long leadership dispute in Worawora.

But the road to that resolution was long, painful, and at times violent. The core of the dispute lay in competing claims to the paramount stool and a fierce argument over whether succession should be matrilineal or patrilineal.

The Royal Oyoko Clan attributed the crisis to the illegitimate occupation of the paramount stool by individuals who do not belong to the royal matrilineal lineage.

Obaasima Nana Ama Anowaa Nyarko, Secretary of the Royal Oyoko Clan, stressed the need for urgent intervention to restore peace and order.

"Worawora belongs to the Asantehene, and he alone can determine the rightful occupants of the paramount stools," she declared.

Rival Factions and Contested Enstoolments
The Oyoko Adako family appealed to the Oti Regional House of Chiefs to halt all actions on the Worawora chieftaincy issue pending Otumfuo Osei Tutu II's intervention. The family contended that the House's decision to establish a Committee of Enquiry would plunge Worawora into lasting confusion and chaos.

They stressed that Otumfuo, as the ultimate custodian of the Paramount Stool and the Worawora State, had not approved the enstoolment of any chief, and hence no one should be gazetted by the House of Chiefs as Paramount Chief.

Nana Yaw Boasei Kogo III, Ankobeahene of the Worawora Traditional Area, said a 2021 courtesy visit by Worawora elders to Otumfuo confirmed that the Paramount Stool must be inherited matrilineally. However, Nana Awerewa later rejected Asante traditions, claimed there was no Oyoko family in Worawora, and wrote to the Oti Regional House of Chiefs.

In a bid to address the impasse, the Royal Oyoko clan invoked the sacred Great Oath of the Asantehene against Obaapanin Abena Sarfoah Awerewa II and others. Under Asante tradition, this act prohibits the accused from enstooling chiefs or queens until the matter is resolved by the Asantehene. However, the clan alleged that the self-styled queen continued to perform enstoolments in defiance of this injunction.

The Asantehene Weighs In
At an Asanteman Council meeting on October 16, 2025, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II affirmed the current succession line for the Worawora stool. According to the King, until an investigation into the family tree proves otherwise, the stool will continue as a patrilineal stool.

Otumfuo based this on the briefing he received about Worawora's leadership when they rejoined Asante in 2002, sharing how the late Nana Asare Baah and other elders of the stool led the people of Worawora to rejoin Asanteman after over 200 years apart.

Appeals to the President
In January 2025, the Royal Oyoko Clan called on President John Dramani Mahama, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Regional House of Chiefs to intervene in the ongoing crisis.

"We believe in the wisdom and expertise of His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the leadership of President Mahama to bring lasting peace to Worawora," Nana Anowaa Nyarko expressed.

The clan also warned the general public and institutions against engaging with the disputed claimants, describing such interactions as risky and illegitimate.

Resolution A New Chief Installed
On December 15, 2025, the newly-installed Paramount Chief of Worawora, Nana Saforo Baah III, swore his allegiance to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace during the Asanteman Traditional Council Meeting.

The installation ceremony drew traditional leaders from Kuntase, Kokofu, Tapa Amanya, Buem-Jasikan, Apesokubi, and Worawora. Addressing the gathering, Nana Okugyesuo Adunan highlighted the leadership vacuum that had hindered unity and development in the area over the past ten years. He urged the newly installed chief to focus on reconciliation, peacebuilding, and development, and to work closely with youth, women, and government agencies to implement initiatives promoting education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

When Chieftaincy Disputes Turned Violent Police Deployed
The chieftaincy tensions in and around Worawora have not been confined to press conferences and legal petitions. They have at times erupted into open violence, drawing in the police.

There has been a reported protracted chieftaincy dispute between two factions in the Pai Katanga community near Worawora. The conflict erupted once more when the Paramount Chief Nana Bediakko II performed the funeral rites of one of the late chiefs in the area a ceremonial act that the rival faction treated as a provocation.

Over a weekend, gunmen shot six persons, with three in critical condition taken to the Worawora Government Hospital. The single-barrel gun used in committing the crime was recovered and placed in the possession of the police. Superintendent Samuel Aboagye of the Dambai Police Command confirmed the incident.

Three people were confirmed dead at the Worawora Government Hospital. Police announced they had the names of suspects and were actively pursuing them. "We have had some names that we suspect are the ones who committed this heinous crime and we are on their heels. We have alerted our informants and we will ensure that they are brought to book," Superintendent Aboagye stated.

Superintendent Aboagye of the Dambai Police Command said they increased police presence in the area to maintain law and order.

"We are assuring the general public and the community we will ensure that law and order prevail in the town."
Police also appealed for public cooperation.

"We are seeking the assistance of the entire community because we cannot do it alone. They should assist us. So, on behalf of the Oti Regional Police Command and the Police Administration, we are on the ground, seeking the assistance of the entire public to get those who committed this crime," Superintendent Aboagye pleaded.

The Police Station Problem: A Community Policing Gap
Adding to the security challenges is the fact that Worawora still lacks a fully built, modern police station leaving the community exposed.

Among the key community development projects underway is a Modern Police Station, sponsored by Nana Kwaku Ayisi, the Kontrihene of Worawora Traditional Area, which is currently only at foundation level. The fact that a community leader not the government is funding the station reflects how underserved Worawora has been in terms of state security infrastructure.

Conclusion
Worawora's story is one of a proud and ancient community grappling with deep-rooted tensions. A decade of chieftaincy disputes fractured community bonds, triggered violence that overwhelmed the local police, and drew in the highest levels of traditional authority in Ghana from the Oti Regional House of Chiefs all the way to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

The installation of Nana Saforo Baah III in late 2025 offers a new beginning, but true peace will depend on reconciliation, development investment, and critically a functioning, well-resourced police presence to prevent old grievances from igniting once more.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.
International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP
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