The Kumawu Chieftaincy Dispute Is Escalating Into When PersuasionFails, Force Must Be Applied

From the look of things, the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute which has for a while been on a knife edge, is about to pass the tipping point any moment from tomorrow, Thursday 16 February 2017. The alleged coward, Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V, but who indeed has persistently believed in allowing the laws as enshrined in the country’s conventions and constitution to take their course, has consequentially been presumed a weakling by the supposed strong and intimidating “Kumawuhene” Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua.

The alleged Kumawuhene Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, dubiously imposed on Kumawuman as their paramount chief by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Asanteman Council acting in contravention of laid down procedural conventions and the nation’s constitution, thinks he is the sole rightful and recognised Kumawuhene who is without any restraints asserting his authority and dictating his wishes.

Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, although ineligible by available facts and evidence to occupy the Kumawu Kodua stool but currently occupying it owing to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Asanteman Council illegally and autocratically arrogating to themselves powers they have no right to, thinks he can commit crimes with impunity.

On several occasions during the presidency of former President John Dramani Mahama, the bosom buddy of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua had arranged then DCOP Nathan Kofi Boakye’s Ashanti regional police force to proceed to Kumawu to intimidate Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V and his supporting subjects who form about 95% of Kumawuman subjects.

Both Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua did exploit their friendship with President Mahama who was secretly using his presidential powers to influence the police and the High Court judges to twist justice in favour of the otherwise illegal occupant of the Kumawu paramount stool, thus, Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, known in Kumawuman as Dr Yaw Sarfo.

This does not, and should not, be seen by the Ghana Police and those not familiar with Asante customs and traditions, especially, the customs and traditions prevailing in Kumawu with regard to the selection and election of a royal to become a Kumawuhene-elect and finally, the Kumawuhene, to believe and insist that Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua is the legitimate Omanhene of Kumawu. Nope!!!

When Barima Tweneboa Kodua V was celebrating his first “Akwasidee” in Kumawu on 18 January 2015, a swarm of police personnel descended on Kumawu to intimidate him and his subjects and almost the entire citizens of Kumawu and Bodomase. Nobody was fighting. Why did DCOP Nathan Kofi Boakye, the then Ashanti Regional Police Commander move his forces to molest Barima Tweneboa Kodua V and his Kumawuman subjects?

Watch the video recordings on the incidents via the below indicated YouTube links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40J4KEhPPKo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm4sV_XJF4c
When he was celebrating the funeral of his late younger sister, Diana, who passed away in Belgium with her remains flown to Ghana, the police prior to the funeral held on Saturday 2nd April 2016, invited him to a meeting and warned him not to carry himself about as a chief during the funeral. They said if he did, they would deal with him, arrest him and disrupt the funeral. After deep cogitation and consultations with his elders, coupled with the pain he was in, he decided, but with pain and regret, to adhere to the instructions by the police. His decision, although as thoughtful as it was, did not settle well with his teeming supporters who felt let down.

On the Saturday, 2 April 2016, the Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua’s Ahenfie Boys proceeded to Kumawu-Bodomase where Diana’s funeral was being held with intent to disrupt it if Barima Tweneboa Kodua V was to be found at the funeral grounds with a kingly umbrella over his head. This audacious, but completely absurd attitude demonstrated by that handful of supporters of Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, led to some sort of skirmishes with the numerous supporters of Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua V. The supporters of Dr Yaw Sarfo, the alleged Kumawuhene Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, had to run for their sheer life leaving their sandals behind.

Again, Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua has arranged with the police to disrupt the funeral of the late Kumawu Akyempemhene Nana Okyere Krapa II who as I write now, (Wednesday, 15 February 2017) is laid in state at Kumawu-Bodomase.

There is already a heavy presence of the police personnel in Kumawu and Bodomase. When a guy from America who is attending the funeral approached them to find out about their mission to Bodomase, they responded by saying they had come to ensure the safety and protection of all those attending the funeral. He questioned on what grounds? Are people fighting? Have the funeral organisers invited them for protection? All the answers were no. He then asked them for what ulterior motive then have they come to Bodomase for the entire duration of the funeral which will last until Sunday, 19 February 2017?

Information I have gathered is that the police did meet to discuss that they would proceed to Kumawu-Bodomase to ensure that Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V does not conduct himself as a chief but an ordinary person or an ordinary chief mourner.

Kumawu Akyempemhene Nana Okyere Krapa II was one of the sub-chiefs of Barima Tweneboa Kodua V. Therefore, Barima Tweneboa Kodua V is the principal organiser of the funeral.

All told, his supporters are peeved and feel that the intimidations they have persistently been subjected to have gone overboard and therefore, they will no longer sit down to be fed the nonsense that have become the trademark of Dr Yaw Sarfo and his handful of supporters with the illegal backing of the police who are not conversant with the processes of selecting, electing and enthroning a royal as Kumawuhene-elect/Kumawuhene.

Readers, please watch the video clip on how Asantehene colluded with Kumawuhemaa and Asanteman Council to impose Dr Yaw Sarfo on Kumawuman as their Omanhene which is no way in conformity with the existing Kumawu customs and traditions regarding the nomination, selection, vetting, and enstoolment of a royal as Kumawu Omanhene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac8wZIPlVu8
Now that the patience of the people has worn thin by the continuous bullying and harassment at the hands of Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua and his supporters, the battle is set for a showdown should the police and their supporters make any silly move to disrupt the funeral for any stupid reasons.

Interested public readers could familiarise themselves with the terms of reference indicating that Asantehene goofed big time by imposing Dr Yaw Sarfo on Kumawuman as their Omanhene by referring to the contents of the two underlying web links.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/584823/re-asantehene-is-the-overlord-of-asanteman.html

https://www.modernghana.com/news/589565/1/kumawuhene-sends-a-manipulative-letter-to-police-c.html

However it pans out, the name of the Chief Justice, Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood, may be mentioned. Her office somehow, as per the view of a layman in the legal profession, intervened dubiously to cause the court proceedings on the illegal destoolment of some Kumawu chiefs by Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua acting on the instructions of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to be adjourned sine die. She went further to order the transfer of the case that had already fairly been decided by a Mampong High Court judge, from Mampong to Kumasi, naming a specific judge to preside over it and then transferring the Mampong High Court judge to Bolgatanga.

There is an Akan proverb that says if a child falls to his/her death at the back of your house (in your backyard), you did not kill him/her but your name will always be associated whenever we mention the death of the child.

Rockson Adofo
(Written on Wednesday, 15 February 2017)