GH¢148,000 Scandal Hits Gomoa Akyempim

Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l disclosed that the Gomoa Akyempim Omanhene has collected a total of GH¢40,000.00 from Nana Obantsir Atta V of Gomoa Amanful and an unspecified substantial amount of money from Nana Obantsir Kuma IX of Antseadze for him to occupy the same Adontenhene Stool.

GH¢148,000 Scandal Hits Gomoa Akyempim
Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l

The rift between the Paramount Chief of Gomoa Akyempim in the Central Region, Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II and the Omanhemaa, Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l, in the same traditional area has taken another twist, with the latter accusing the former of extorting huge sums of monies from his subjects.

According to the queen mother, Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II allegedly collect huge monies to the tune of GH¢148,0000 from his subjects.

Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l made the allegation in an exclusive interview with Soireenews.com at Apam in the Central Region 

Giving the breakdown of how the GHC148,000 came about, Obaatampa Edua I said Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II deceived members of the Royal Abor Ewusi Twidan family of Gomoa Fetteh by collecting GH¢68,000.00 through Mr Kofi Ahonka and Mr Nana Kwa Bediako with the promise to install the chief of Gomoa Fetteh from their gate.

She also alleged that Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II took four hundred and twenty-two (420) acres of land from the same family through Ebusuapanyin Mr Kofi Ahorka.

Furthermore, she alleged that the paramount chief benefitted personally from a pump-action gun meant for the same members of the Royal Abor Ewusi Twidan family of Gomoa Fetteh without accounting for it.

According to her, the Gomoa Akyempim Omanhene was reported to have stated that monies extorted from his subjects were a form of punishment for their wrongdoings to help appease the Gomoa Akyempim Black Stool, but which monies he failed to account for.

Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l disclosed that the Gomoa Akyempim Omanhene has collected a total of GH¢40,000.00 from Nana Obantsir Atta V of Gomoa Amanful and an unspecified substantial amount of money from Nana Obantsir Kuma IX of Antseadze for him to occupy the same Adontenhene Stool.

She pointed out that Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II also unlawfully took an amount of GH¢20,000.00 from Nana Atta Kakra IX of Gomoa Ojobi through Nana Osuan VI to restore his chieftaincy position (Nana Atta Kakra) as the Kyidom of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area but refused to perform that ritual.

"You again took GH¢20,000.00 from Osabarima Bondam Adu Entsenyi ll of Gomoa Kyiren to renovate Gomoa Akyempim Palace at Gomoa Assin which you refused to execute such project.

"After the demise of Nana Ntsiful Ababio of Gomoa Okyereko, you fraudulently collected some unspecified amount of money from both Ato and Donkoh for the same stool which is now holding back the replacement of the demise chief," the queen mother said.

Responding to the series of allegations against him, Obirifo Ankobea II, at a crowded press conference flatly denied the GH¢148,000 extortion allegation.

He consequently called on the general public, particularly the people in Gomoa and Akyempim Traditional Area and its adjoining communities, to disregard the allegations levelled against him.

Obirifo Ankobea II, who was flanked by the chiefs, kingmakers and elders including the Head of Gomoa Ansere Royal Stool, the Paramount Chief, Nana Kwabena Yamoah, pointed out the allegations were part of a sinister plot to injure his reputation and make him look bad in the eyes of Ghanaians.

He denied the allegation to the effect that he facilitated the instalment of non-indigenous as divisional chiefs in some of the communities in which development was brewing tension within the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area.

According to him, he only installed one person whose mother was from Gomoa Akyempim as the boundary chief of Gomoa Akyempim with the aim of helping the stool to reclaim their lands which had illegally been sold to individuals and organisations by unscrupulous elders of the area.

He indicated that those disgruntled divisional chiefs who were attacking his personality were doing so in their personal interest since they had earlier planned to install another person as paramount chief. 

He also discounted the claim that he was not bringing development to the communities.

“I still the Paramount Chief of Akyempim Traditional Area and that nobody had destooled me as it being peddled in the public by Ohemaa Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l and her followers,” he averred.

Obirifo Ankobea II described as illegal the public announcement by the divisional chiefs led by the queen mother that they had destooled him, stating that they did not have the traditional power and locus to destool him.

It would be recalled that a series of allegations had been made against Obinfo Ankobea II by her Queen mother, Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l.

Amongst these allegations were extortion of huge monies from his subjects, failing to account for royalty monies of Gomoa Akyempim Paramount Royal Stool, indiscriminate installation of non-citizens as chiefs, using traditional assets as his personal properties and mismanagement of funds of the stool.

But a press conference held in Gomoa Assin, recently,  Obirifo Ankobea II accused the Gomoa Akyempim Omanhemaa of allegedly having sexual affairs with some divisional chiefs who were currently supporting the queen mother to destool him.

Obirifo Ankobea II told journalists that a total of eighty-two (82) out of one hundred of fifty-two (152) divisional chiefs including kingmakers and elders had signed a petition to prefer some ten destoolment charges against him.

He described the signatories to the petition as "boyfriends" of the paramount queen mother who had been sleeping with her.

"I want to tell you that those chiefs who are supporting Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l to spew those lies that they have destooled me as the Paramount Chief of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area are her boys who have been sleeping with her," Obirifo II alleged.

The paramount chief was responding to a recent press conference held by Obaatampa Edua l and some divisional chiefs and kingmakers announcing ten destoolment charges against Obirifo Ankobea II.

However, in a quick rebuttal, Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l stated that she still stands on her earlier statement she made to the effect that the Paramount Chief was no longer recognized as the illegally and traditional installed Chief because he is facing ten destoolment charges.

She noted that no among of threats from the embattled Paramount Chief would make her afraid to change their mind to go-ahead to pursue the ten destoolment charges preferred against Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II.

She was quick to assure that she is going to take legal action against Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II for accusing her of sleeping with the divisional chiefs who are in support of her decision to destool him for abusing chieftaincy power.

According to her, the allegations of the sexual affair levelled against her by  Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II is complete amounts to defamation of character and that she has already informed her lawyer to prepare legally suit against the Paramount Chief.

Describing himself as the responsible mother who was nurtured and groomed from the reputable house, Obaatampa Nana Ama Edua l stated that she is not going to be seated idle to allow Obirifo Ahunuako Ahor Ankobea II and his self seeking elders to continue to implement their evil agenda to destroy the lands that "our ancestors left for us."

Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater Accra Regional Correspondent