Re: Ashalaja residents living in fear

We are a firm of barristers and solicitors, and our attention has been drawn to a publication on page 87 of the Daily Graphic edition of Monday, October 5, 2015 headlined: Ashalaja residents living in fear.”

The story, credited to a certain “Emelia Ennin Abbey” is ambiguous, because reading it, one cannot tell whether she was reporting a press conference or she was writing her own selected view from a private investigation.

We are lawyers for Nii Akwannor IV, Chief of Ashalaja, and we have his instructions to spill the beans for all and sundry to have a clear unadulterated picture of what is happening in Ashalaja.

At a time in our history as a nation when our chiefs are being shot dead regularly by unknown assailants, it is most important that the truth be told as it is, raw and just as it is.

Nii Akwannor III was destooled as Chief of Ashalaja by the Ga Traditional Council for refusing to attend the summons of the council on an alleged rape of somebody’s wife in Odorkor.

Mr Obeney Tawiah from the Royal family was selected and installed as Nii Akwannor IV and fully gazetted as such by the National House of Chiefs.

The destooled Chief, Nii Akwannor III, refused to accept the FACTUM of the destoolment, and led by his brother Adams Addy pretending as Head of family, they declared “war” on Nii Akwannor IV right from his administration.

The courts are replete with so many cases – lands sold by Nii Akwannor IV are resold by Adams Addy and his cohorts, using land guards to cause mayhem and frustration.

Adams Addy initiated proceedings at the Judicial Committee of the Ga Traditional Council with the aim of nullifying the installation of Nii Akwannor IV. He faced procedural and evidential difficulties at the hearing of the Judicial Committee, and even though the trial is ongoing, he sidestepped the Judicial Committee and got some willing hands to help him to send a letter to the National House of Chiefs demanding that the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs recommends that Nii Akwannor’s name be struck off the Registrar of Chiefs.

On Saturday 16th August 2014, Nii Akwannor IV and his entourage left his private residence and went to the Palace at Ashalaja. He performed rites to kickstart preparations of “kpokpoi”.

While returning to his private residence, a gang wielding guns, knives, machete and other offensive weapons ambushed the chief’s party and descended on them with a ferocious attack.

Nii Akwannor IV was wounded and he fell, collapsed, unconscious and one of his aides rushed to pick a gun, fired into the air, but a pellet hit a son of Adams Addy, the leading commanding general of the attackers, who were on top of the fallen unconscious chief. The pellet disabled Adams Addy’s son who later died.

Ghana Police Service has no station in Ashalaja. The closest is Amasaman. When they received a report of the incident, they went there, and their reaction was INCOMPREHENSIBLE.

Instead of arresting those who attacked the chief, the police surrendered themselves to Adams Addy who led them to literally chase all elders and supporters of Nii Akwannor IV out of town, and eventually arrested as many as 10 of them, including the wounded chief, Nii Akwannor IV, and arraigned them, the VICTIMS of the attack, before the courts on charges of assault, causing harm and others.

In fact, Adams Addy felt so powerful that on one occasion when the case was to be called at Adjabeng District Court, Adams Addy’s boys actually entered the courtroom, wanting to kill Nii Akwannor IV. It took the personal intervention of the District Magistrate who rushed out of his chambers to restore order.

The wheel of justice grinds slowly. From August 2014, it was not until late October 2014 that all the accused persons were granted bail, and in April this year the one whose gunshot ended the life of the attacker was also admitted to bail.

In July 2015, Fast Track Court 4 ordered that Nii Akwannor IV and his elders living in exile in hotels and friends’ houses in Accra should return to Ashalaja on pain of injunction on some 10 selected persons.

In September 2015, Fast Track Court 15 ordered that all parties should return to the Judicial Committee of the Ga Traditional Council to resolve the issue as to the validity or otherwise of the installation of Nii Akwannor IV.

Slowly, Adams Addy is losing the war. He has resorted to crying on some radio stations that some people want to attack him, that they are living in fear, and so on… until your respect authoritative national daily also glorified his grievances with an interesting report headlined “Ashalaja residents living in fear.” Which fear? – One may ask.

The end of the road has come for them – justice is on course.

Until the Judicial Committee of the Ga Traditional Council gives a decision annulling the installation of Nii Akwannor IV, he remains the valid official chief of Ashalaja.

The state represented by the Ghana Police Service must protect life and property in Ashalaja. Those litigating and/or feuding factions must do their traditional politicking within the confines of the law, so that our wives and children can go about their daily chores in peace.

Signed

Nkrabeah & Associates,

Solicitors for Nii Akwannor IV