Sub-Chief (Odikro) of Prestea Nakaba community in the Prestea Huni-Valley District of the Western Region, Nana Blay Kwofie I, has made a passionate appeal to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, to give him police protection because “his life is in danger.”
Nana Blay Kwofie lamented that ever since he filed an application in a Cape Coast Appeal Court in the Central Region to stay execution of a judgment by a Tarkwa High Court in favour of Tufohene Oyoko family of Prestea over a land litigation case between the family and Nana Blay Kwofie I, he has not been enjoying peace at all.
According to the chief, his lawyer, Mr. Kwasi Nkrumah, on Monday, October 16, 2017, filed an appeal against that judgment praying the court to put on hold the Tarkwa High Court judgment till a determination of the case is made by the Cape Coast Appeal Court. The High Court in Tarkwa, presided over by His Lordship, Mr. K.A. Ofori Atta, on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, declared a judgment in favour of Tufohene Oyoko family of Prestea against Nana Blay Kwofie I for selling family lands to Ghanaians and foreign nationals for illegal mining activities without the consent and knowledge of the family.
But, Nana Blay Kwofie I, who is unsatisfied by that ruling, has filed an appeal, which the court has fixed October 31, 2017, for the first hearing of the case. Speaking in an interview with Today, the chief called on IGP Asante-Apeatu to call his accusers to order over what he termed as “harassments” by them. Nana Blay Kwofie I lamented that since “I filed the appeal against the Tarkwa High Court judgment, my critics have been using land-guards and macho-men wielding guns and other offensive weapons to constantly harass me in the area.” The visibly worried chief cited an example of an invasion of his private house at Prestea on Monday, October 16, 2017, by armed-to-the-teeth tall built macho-men to take pictures of his house without his consent.
He noted that although he officially reported the threat on his life to the Prestea District Police Command, he added that: “my life is still in danger” because the hired thugs continue to issue death threats on my life.” According to him, the constant attacks on his life started after he took measures to stop some high profile personalities of Prestea from looting the Tufohene Oyoko family lands he personally fought to retrieve from galamsey operators and squatters in Prestea. In 2011, he stated that some influential personalities in Prestea allegedly demarcated part of the Himan Divisional Area land to themselves. And following that they were summoned before the Human Divisional Chief, Nana Ntaboah Prah V, and his elders.
This, Nana Blay Kwofie noted, is what started all these machinations against him.He mentioned that in 2001 almost Tufohene Oyoko family lands stretching from Prestea Old Post Office to Bondaye were taken over by illegal small scale miners and indigenous farmers at the expense of the family. To battle this disturbing trend, he pointed out that the Tufohene Oyoko family moved him from Accra to Prestea Nakaba and gave him the power of attorney to retrieve these lands for the family.
“So with the wisdom that almighty God has given to me, between 2002 and 2003, I was able to retrieve 3000 acres of the lands from galamsey operators and farmers for the family through series of legal battles. “And between that period the multinational gold mining company, Golden Star Bogoso Prestea Resources Limited (GSBPRL), decided to start a surface gold mining activity on the part of the lands. “…and the first attempt by the company was to consult members of Tufohene Oyoko family to acquire part of the lands for which the company decided to pay the crop compensation to squatters, particularly the indigenous and settler farmers on the land,” he explained.
He indicated that within the contractual agreement it was spelt out that the Tufohene Oyoko family would be entitled to 20% compensation of the crops by the settler and indigenous farmers. Nana Blay Kwofie I pointed out that as the sub-chief of the area, he craved the indulgence of the elders of Tufohene Oyoko family and “we opened a bank account for the family at the Prestea Amenfiman Rural Bank and 20% proceeds of the crops compensation from the settler farmers were paid into the account.
After the first three payments by GSBPRL, he stated that “the members of Apinto Stool of Mbease Nsuta Divisional Area led by Nana Awodua who the Tufohene Oyoko family shared historical boundary with came in to summon the family before the Paramount Chief of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, Osagyefo Kwabena Enemil, with the claim that they were also entitled to 20% crop compensation from the settler farmers.”
Upon this development, according to him, the paramount chief ordered that a further payment of 20% proceed from the farmers be paid directly into the bank account of GSBPRL. In July 2004, he noted that the Tufohene Oyoko family was summoned again before the then substantive Chief of Himan Divisional Area, Nana Gyabena Appee Brempong (now deceased) by members of Kyedom Family at Bondaye led by their Chief, Nana Dwamena III, with the claim to also enjoy 20% crop compensation from the farmers on the lands located at Bondage village popularly called “My Child.”
“In that arbitration l was mandated as a sub-chief of Prestea Nakaba to move the defence motion in the Prestea Himan Divisional Council.”But unfortunately the leader of the panel of the arbitration, Nana Gyagua Brempong V, used the concessional map to judge the arbitration case against Tufohene Oyoko family,” he stated.
He mentioned that after the judgment by Nana Gyagua Brempong V, the illegal small scale miners resurfaced on the Tufohene Oyoko family lands stretching from Akotokrom to community called “Trust.””So not satisfied with the judgment by Nana Gyetuah Brempong V, in 2004 we took the case to the Tarkwa Circuit Court but we lost again for not setting aside the arbitration. We further filed an application against the ruling in an Appeal Court in Accra and we lost again on technical grounds that we filed the application on the appeal very late,” Nana Blay Kwofie I expatriated.
Suddenly, the sub-chief contended that just after the Tufohene Oyoko family lost the case in Tarkwa Circuit Court, Nana Gyetuah Brempong V was indisposed as a result of ill-health.According to him, in December 28, 2004 Omanhene Wasa Fiase Traditional Area directed the Tufohene Oyoko family to act as a regent of the Prestea Himan Divisional Chief for which Nana Abena Appee III was appointed to take that traditional divisional position.
Afterwards, the chief mentioned that Osagyefo Kwamena Enimil directed through a memo that the amount paid to GSBPRL account should be paid to Nana Abena Appee III. According to him, the Tufohene Oyoko family realising that they were investing huge monies in the series of legal battles for the ownership of the lands met in July 2005 and executed a site plan of 661.2 acres of lands which was endorsed by the family.In August 13, 2005, he indicated that the family invited him to sign “my portion of the site plan of the 661.2 acres of land and I did in the presence of some key members of the Tufohene Oyoko family.
But according to Nana Blay Kwoties, some high profile personalities in Prestea are scheming to illegally take part of Tufohene Oyoko family land from him and his elders by using land-guards and machomen to territorize him.
<<Print>>