IGP, National Security Minister Alert: Bloody Clash Looms Over Diabolical Move By Okyenhene And Barima  Kwabena Oduro To Outdoor 'Fake Queen' In Akyem Mepom

ACCREDITED elders and principal kingmakers of the Agyei Kumi Asona Royal family of Mepom, the farming community near Asamakese under Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area in the Eastern Region have raised the red flags over the current diabolical move by Chief of Akyem Asuotwene, Barima Kwabena Oduro and Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin and some unaccredited elders of Asuotwene family at Mepom to illegally and unlawfully install a fake Queen-mother under the heavily protection of gun wielding land-guards.

The unaccredited elders from Asuotwene family of Mepom and Barima Kwabena Oduro,who have succeeded in installing importer queen mother on Thursday April 24, 2024 were reported to have set aside coming Thursday to officially outdoor their queen-mother to the public, the situation which the elders of Agyei Kumi Asona family of Mepom have resisted.

The development which informed the decision of the elders of Agyei Kumi Asona family of Mepom to call on the Security Minister and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kyebi District Police Commander and Eastern Regional Police Commander to immediately intervene.

They complained that the hired land-guards of unaccredited elders from the Asuotwene family of Mepom, Barima Kwabena Oduro and Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin have still took over the traditional palace of the chief of Mepom Baffour Agyei Kumi III shooting guns indiscriminately which was creating fear and panic at Akyem Mepom community.

It has emerged that the hired land-guards/ gangsters of the imposter queen mother have vandalized the palace of the chief of Akyem Mepom, Baffour Agyei Kumi III and broken into his room and subsequently took away many valuable properties which issues were currently under policy investigations.

The aggrieved elders and kingmakers mincing words when they pointed accusing fingers at the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin for supporting Barima Kwabena Oduro and some traditional rulers to impose a fake queen-mother on them.

At a crowded press conference on Saturday April 28, 2024, addressed by the Head of the Asona family at Mepom, Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong, stated that this illegal installation of the imposter queen-mother should have been prevented in the area if Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin should have taken an proactive security measures.

According  to the elders and kingmakers of Asona family, they are rightful people in the area who have traditional capacity, authority and perogative to install a person to become a queen-mother to ascend the throne of Akyem Mepom community.

According to him, the elders and kingmakers of Asona family have been performing these traditional duties at Akyem Mepom for the past 70 or 80 years without any confrontation and problem.

Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong, provided documentary proof corroborated historical facts from the national to back his claim that since from 70 to 80 years "we have been installing queen-mother from our family to ascend the throne of the area, and that they have not been any time that their opponents had installed a queen-mother for the area before."

Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong argued that the Asona family couldn't fathom why Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Barima kwabena Oduro and some unaccredited elders have arrogated power to themselves to take the laws into their hands to carry out this unlawful installation of a fake queen-mother on Thursday April 24, 2024 and subsequently set aside Thursday coming to officially outdoor such embattled queen-mother to the general public.

According to the head of Agyei Kumi Asona royal family, Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong, they were
shocked and disappointed in Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin for not putting in place proper security measures to stop Barima kwabena Oduro and these unscrupulous elders from installing imposter queen since the cases in regard of the attempts by these elders to install the fake queen have been officially brought to  Okyenhene personally.

Earlier, he pointed out when they tabled the issue for the discussion, there was peace between the various factions and they were directive that they should go to install their queen mothers.

He confirmed that the elders of Asona family have agreed to choose one of his cousins to be installed a queen mother for the area.

They noted that the Okyenhene has stated on the record that he destooled Barima Kwabena Oduro but currently the same Barima Kwabena Oduro has associated himself with the chief Linguist (Okyeame) of Okyenhene who hired armed land-guards to protect such installation.

They couldn't fathom why the Okyenhene has destooled Chief of Aworasa, Barima Pobi Asomanin but his Okyeame has now teamed up with Barima Kwabena Oduro to be installing a fake queen mother and that they suspected foul play in the matter.

"Our eyes are red we are suspecting that there are foul play in this matter or something hiding in the matter," he noted.

He indicated that the pocket of evidence available to them indicates that it was Barima Kwabena Oduro who has hired the services of the land-guards to protect the security for this unlawful installation of the queen. 

"But when you asked Barima Kwabena Oduro about the invasion of the land guards in the area to protect the security for this unlawful installation, Barima Kwabena Oduro would vehemently denies," he explained.

He said the woman who has been installed the queen-mother is a wife of Barima Kwabena Oduro and that he [Barima Kwabena Oduro] has two children with her and further stressed the need for the Okyenhene to take a second of the matter. 

"We have not installed queen-mother in our area, so the Okyemhene and Barima Kwabena Oduro shouldn't imposed a queen mother on us in our area," he warned.

"We have been receiving distress calls from our women who complained of the sporadic gunshots in the area by these gangsters and our women invited us to come to the area. Our women were crying that if we don't come to the area, what were going to happen would be under control," he stated.

Following this development, the Head of Asona indicated they had rushed to the Asamakese District Police Commander and informed him about what are happenings in their area.

"We told senior police officer we have receiving distress calls from our women that there are sporadic gun shots in the area and it clearly shows that in Ghana now anybody can put  the law into his/her hand to do whatever are good for him/her.

On the security in the area, he further called on the IGP to deploy the a team of police officers to come to the area to protect the security of the area, since their lives in danger to sporadic gunshots in the Akyem Mepom near Asamakese.

"We are calling on the Security Minister and 
IGP that we are currently living in danger and our lives under threat so we are appealing to them to immediately intervene in this case in order to flush all the land-guards from the area for the peace to be maintained in the area," they cried out.

He indicated that their opponents led by Barima Kwabena Oduro have letter to the Asamankese Police Command in the Lower West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region to inform the police for the installation queen-mother in the area.

According to Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong, their 
opponents have sent their letter on Thursday April 24, 2024 at 9 AM informing the state security regulatory institutions to install a queen-mother and that it was the same Thursday around 11:00 AM when we have gotten the information that our opponents have started the installation of the queen-mother.

"...while in Ghana there laws and regulations governing the installation of either chief or queen-mother under the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and Chieftaincy Act 2008, Act 759," Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong noted.

He added that there were laws and regulations which stipulate that if you want to install chief or queen mother, the interesting party should notify the various state security regulatory institutions for some days before, but saying that in this case, the rightful procedures were not taken by Barima Kwabena Oduro and his followers."

According to him, Barima Kwabena Oduro and his followers have not waited for the green light to be given to them from the police administration but they had taken the laws into their hands to carry this unlawful installation.

He stressed that the unlawful movement of their opponents to install the queen-mother of the area was completely a breached of the Chieftaincy laws and regulations and the IGP and Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Stephen Boateng to interview to call Barima Kwabena Oduro and associates  to their order in order to avert any possible bloody clash in the area.

"We have gotten wind of the information that Barima Kwabena Oduro and followers  are planning to officially outdoor the queen-mother to the public in the coming Thursday, and that looking at the situation we don't want to put the laws into our hands that is the reason we calling on the IGP and relavant state security apparatus to intervene in the matter in order to stop this event," he appealed.

"If IGP and security minister should not listen to our plead and from today up to coming Tuesday or Wednesday, Barima Kwabena Oduro and his followers wanted to carry out their illegal and unlawful event to outdoor the queen mother there will be a clash," he sent a strong signal. 

"So we don't want any bloody clash in our land that is the reasons for which we are appealing to the state security regulatory institutions to call their opponents to the order," he stressed.

He said this case had been tabled before the Okyemhene and when Bafour Oduro was questioned he has denied that the people of the area were not under them.

"So l told  Barima Kwabena Oduro since he claimed that they are not their family members and why is it that he, Barima Kwabena Oduro helping out opponents to intend to install a queen-mother for the people of Akyem Mepom. So when l asked Barima Pobi Asomanin about these above questions, he hasn't given me the answers.

"Because if he (Barima Kwabena Oduro) could select a candidate to me as Abusiapanin it is means that he is coming to take my traditional authority and that it is a high time for the Okyemhene to address this issue to bring peace in the area," he stressed.

He complained that at the time Barima Kwabena Oduro and his followers are doing the illegal and unlawful installation of the queen mother, their hired land-guards who shot guns indiscriminately to destroy valuable properties in some rooms in the palace being occupied by chief in the area.

They have broken into the room of the chief in the palace and took away all properties from the room of the chief in the palace.

After destruction of the properties of the chief at the palace, the Head of the Sona family pointed out that they officially reported the incident to Asamankase Police Municipal Commander.

"We have met the commander and therefore explained all the matter to him in regard to unlawful move by their opponents led  by Barima Kwabena Oduro to illegally and unlawfully install a fake queen mother without recourse to the traditions and customs of Akyem Mepom," he noted.

In this regard, he noted that have made an  official report to the Asamankase Municipal Police  Commander, for which the senior police officer assured to deploy a team of police officers to guard them to go and see the properties which were destroyers by the hired land-guards/ gangsters at the palace.

Suddenly, he noted that the senior asked one police CID to escort them to the palace, but they told the senior police officers looking at the issue, they cannot go to the palace with one police CID officer.

To this end, Abusuapani Yaw Frimpong repeated his call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to impress upon the IGP to deploy the police officers to the area to maintain law and order.

"Where can this happen in Ghana or the whole world where by a queen mother from a different family will be imposed on a chief who is also from a different royal family. We are drawing all Ghanaians attention to what Okyenhene Oforipanin Amoatia is dealing with Chieftaincy issues in Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area," he added