Worawora Chieftaincy Dispute: Four Remanded, Families Flee Amid Police Brutality Claims (with references)

Worawora, Oti Region. A faction in the long-running Worawora chieftaincy dispute alleges police brutality and intimidation after four residents were arrested and remanded during the Akwantutenten Festival, which was reportedly under an injunction.

Police and the regional security council describe the same arrests differently.

The official account. The Dambai Circuit Court remanded four persons over alleged involvement in disturbances at Dwabrem-Worawora, which police say occurred on 24 October 2026 amid tensions over the start of rites for the Akwantutenten Festival.

They were remanded on 27 October, and police say officers extinguished burning tyres and restored order. Police say the incident involved burning tyres and other acts of violence following disagreements over claims that a High Court injunction had been obtained against the celebration.

The Oti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has directed the families to seek redress through the courts and Houses of Chiefs. That directive followed a meeting on 26 October between the council and representatives of the disputing families.

The complainants' account. The faction says the four were arrested on false charges to silence critics. It accuses Regional Police Commander Alex Cudjoe Acquah and officers under him of a pattern of intimidation and brutality. It says families have fled Worawora and some have been separated.

It disputes that the Regional Command met all the factions, and alleges the commander met only his preferred faction. It also alleges that he told a ladies' association to seek permission from the faction occupying the stool before any activity, on pain of arrest.

These claims are unverified and the police have not responded to them. The REGSEC meeting noted above included representatives of the disputing families, so the allegation that no meeting took place may refer to a separate police-led process.

The petitions.
The faction says it has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB). It alleges that officers repeatedly failed to attend PPSB invitations, most recently on 4 November 2026.

The factions. The complainants identify three groups: the Osease Adako-Oyoko faction (led by Abusuapanin Osei Kwame and Nkosuohemaa Obaasima Nana Ama Anowaa Boah Nyarko, with the Royal Asante Matrilineal Family), the Bokukumase faction (Emmanuel Yaw Kwapong, stool name Nana Safro Baah III), and the Opokuase Hyiawu faction (Barima Owusu Afari, Nana Opoku Frefre III).

Independent coverage frames the main contest as between Nana Safro Baah III and Nana Ama Anowaa Nyarko of the Adako Royal Family, both claiming the stool through ancestry and custom.

The Oyoko Adako family says succession in Worawora is matrilineal, in line with Asante tradition, and that this position is what sparked the dispute.

The gazetting claim. The complainants say the houses of chiefs ignored a court injunction. Independent reporting partly supports this.

The Kumasi High Court issued an injunction on 7 May 2026 in Suit No. E10/04/26, The Republic vs. The Registrar, National House of Chiefs.

An extract from the National Register of Chiefs shows a rival claimant gazetted about three months later, which is now the central fact at issue. The substantive chieftaincy dispute is pending before the Judicial Committee of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs.

Note that this order is directed at the Registrar of the National House of Chiefs. The complainants describe it as barring both the national and regional houses. The royal family disowned the gazette, citing a standing court order.

Demands. The faction wants urgent government intervention, an independent investigation into the Oti Regional Command and the arrests, faster PPSB action, and a settlement through lawful customary processes.

Still needed. Police and REGSEC response to the brutality claims, the charges against the four, and comment from the Bokukumase and Opokuase Hyiawu factions and the Oti Regional House of Chiefs.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

References
Statements and account from the complainant faction, provided to the author (5 Nov 2026).

Graphic Online, "Worawora festival unrest: Four remanded over chieftaincy dispute": https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/worawora-festival-unrest-four-remanded-over-chieftaincy-dispute.html

Ghana News Agency, "Court remands four over Worawora disturbances" (29 Oct 2026): https://gna.org.gh/2026/10/court-remands-four-over-worawora-disturbances/

AllAfrica, "Ghana: Four Persons Remanded Over Worawora Riot" (29 Oct 2026): https://allafrica.com/stories/202610290324.html

Ghana News Agency, "Four remanded over Worawora riot" (29 Oct 2026): https://gna.org.gh/2026/10/four-remanded-over-worawora-riot/

Ghanaian Times, "4 persons remanded over Worawora riot": https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/4-persons-remanded-over-worawora-riot/amp/

ModernGhana, "The Chieftaincy Dispute at Worawora": https://www.modernghana.com/news/1466828/the-chieftaincy-dispute-at-worawora.html

Ghana News Agency, "Oyoko Adako family urges Oti Chiefs to allow Otumfuo's intervention" (13 June 2025): https://gna.org.gh/2025/06/oyoko-adako-family-urges-oti-chiefs-to-allow-otumfuos-intervention/

ModernGhana, "Worawora Stool Crisis Deepens: Register Extract Shows Rival Claimant Gazetted Months After Court Injunction": https://www.modernghana.com/news/1520418/worawora-stool-crisis-deepens-register-extract.amp

ModernGhana, "Worawora Royal Family Disowns Chieftaincy Gazette, Cites Standing Court Order" (2 Aug 2026): https://www.modernghana.com/news/1515815/worawora-royal-family-disowns-chieftaincy-gazette.html