In line with this, the Royal Family has jointly and severally sued one Akosua Achiaa of Kumasi Kwadaso and Nana Kwaku Duah, Kokosehene, (1 st and 2 nd Defendants) who are the beneficiaries of the said compensation, together with the Ministry of Defence, the Attorney General and the Lands Commission as part of efforts to retrieve the money.
The said parcel of land is the 158.44-acre 2nd Brigade Complex Land of the Ghana Army in Kumasi belonging to the Asaman Kani Royal Family, which was unlawfully taken over by the Government of Ghana some years back.
The plaintiffs, 90-year-old Obaapanin Adwoa Adowaa, Head of Great Asaman Kani Royal Family and Ohene Tumfor, Abusuapanin of the Family, in a suit filed for and on behalf of the entire family by their counsel, Nana Obiri Boahen, averred that recently when they sent a petition to the Sole Commissioner On Judgment Debts in Accra, they learnt that the 1 st and the 2 nd defendants had teamed up to institute an action against the Ministry of Defence (3 rd defendant) and the Attorney General (4 th defendant) over the said piece of land.
‘Without exercising due care and attention, agents of the government of Ghana failed to be meticulous and allowed the 1 st and the 2 nd defendants, in pursuit of their dishonesty and fraud, to obtain judgment against the government of Ghana and compensation was later paid to the 1 st and the 2 nd defendants with the support, collusion, etc. of agents of the 3 rd- 5 th defendants,’ the family opined.
The plaintiffs said this happened at the time the 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th defendants knew very well that the Asaman Kani Royal Family had instituted numerous actions for the past 35 years to protect their ancestral lands in present day Kumasi, which includes the very land that the 1 st and 2 nd defendants, in collusion with other individuals and agents of 3 rd -5 th defendants took compensation thereof.
The plaintiffs, on behalf of the entire Great Asaman Kani Royal Family, are seeking among other reliefs, a declaration that the 1 st and the 2 nd defendants, not being the custodians and owners of the Kumasi-North Kwadaso site which comprises the 2 nd Brigade Complex were not entitled to receive compensation from the government of Ghana in respect of the acquisition of the said land.
The family is also seeking an order compelling the 1 st and the 2 nd defendants to refund the GH¢110 million to the plaintiffs, on behalf or in trust for the entire Asaman Kani Royal Family with an interest from date of payment till the date of final judgment.
Nine Others Sued
In a related development, the Great Asaman Kani Royal Family has also jointly and severally dragged nine individuals and companies, including the Lands Commission, to court for laying adverse claim to parts of the plaintiffs’ family land in Kumasi and its environs.
The nine include Elder Bismark, proprietor/owner of Bohye Prayer Camp at Atwima-Kwanwoma; Boakye alias Sakoba, spare parts dealer at Sofo Line; Mfum Farms Ltd, Kumasi; Lands Commission; Nana Asare Bediako II, Odikro of Kwadaso; Shell Ghana Ltd, Kumasi; Agya Wusu Company Ltd, Kumasi; Nana Kofi Appiah, Chief of Atwima-Agogo and Nana Adu Ansere Sarpong, Odikro of Patase-Kumasi.
The plaintiffs, who are seeking among others damages for trespassing and perpetual injunction, want a recovery and possession of all the parcel of land situated at Tanoso opposite Yaa Asantewaa SHS currently being occupied by the defendants.
They also want a recovery and possession of the lands situated at Sofoline which forms part of their maternal family property which share common boundary with the Akuoso stream, Subin stream, Oda River, Sukuo stream, Denkyemuoso land, Gyekye stream, Aburaso stool, Aboabo stream, Owabi, Nyankyerenase, Apatrapo and Tanoso lands enclosing Nwamase, Apire, Fankyenebra, Patasi and Kwadaso, as well as the area popularly called ‘Sofoline’ or Old Soldiers Area, Kumasi.
History
The Asaman Kani Royal Family, which is sometimes referred to as the Ekoona Asaman Kani Royal Family, traces its root to Akera Nyame – otherwise known as Ankyewa Nyame – who was believed to have descended from ‘Heaven’.
Ankyewa Nyame begat Awuakyewaa who begat five children namely, Nyanta, Aberewa Musuo, Odaa Nkrawiri- all females and Twum and Antwi, males who were the 1 st and 2 nd Kings of the Ashanti Kingdom.
Their predecessors included Nana Serwaasie, Nana Obiri Yeboah, Nana Oti Kenten, Nana Kobia Amanfi, Nana Akyampong Tenten, Nana Asam Kani, Nana Pomaa, Nana Aboagyewaa, Nana Auboten, Nana Hene Nana, Nana Kwaku Duah, Nana Osei, Nana Kofi Guma, Nana Kwame Kyere and Nana Kwame Nsowaa.
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FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Sunyani
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