The phenomenon of multiple land sales, in which many traditional leaders in the country are alleged to have indulged, has claimed the stool of a prominent chief in the Ashanti Region.
In a landmark case at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Monday, the Chief of Atwima, near Kumasi, Nana Kofi Agyei Bi III, was accused by 12 people, including the popular actor Adu Kofi, alias Agya Koo, of indulging in multiple land sale.
The submissions of the plaintiffs were upheld after the deliberations, subsequent to which the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, announced the Destoolment of Nana Agyei Bi.
Agya Koo had told the meeting of the Kumasi Traditional Council (KTC) at the Manhyia Palace that he had bought four plots of land from Nana Agyei Bi for a hotel project, only to realise later that the land had been sold to other people.
All the other victims who appeared before the KTC also made various allegations against Nana Agyei Bi, claiming that they had lost huge sums of money as a result of his actions.
The chief, a member of the Kronti Division of the Kumasi Traditional Council, was found to have caused the demolition of a building on one of those pieces of land.
The victim in that matter had already hauled Nana Agyei Bi before a law court, but before last Monday's meeting at the Manhyia Palace, Nana Agyei Bi had denied causing the demolition of the said building situated on the boundary between Atwima and Atope.
But at the meeting, the chief sent an apology through the Omanhene of the Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area, Nana Bi Kusi Appiah, to the Asantehene, admitting his role in the demolition of the building and indicating that he had been sent to court over the action.
Before announcing the decision to destool the chief, the Asantehene said he took a serious view of Nana Agyei Bi's action, especially as the chief lied to him.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said he had heard about all that was going on in Atwima which implicated the chief in various issues. He expressed regret that Nana Agyei Bi had misapplied the authority given him, for which reason he had to be destooled. The Asantehene also slated that the chief did not show any respect to his elders and was even at loggerheads with the queen of the area.
Source: Daily Graphic
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Comments
This decision by the Asante King is highly recommended and should be emulated by other traditional rulers of Ghana. That is the reason why we should not simply brush off the action he took as "too little too late". Most of the Chiefs in Ghana and not only those from the Asante Kingdom are guilty of this practice. Huge tracks of land have been sold to foreigners who in turn re-sell them in smaller pieces to Ghanaian citizens. The Chiefs in the Ga traditional of Ghana areas are probably worse ...