No Court Has Issued Bench Warrant For  My Arrest! ...Krokobite Chief Nii Ofei III Fires Back

Divisional Chief of Krokobite under the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council in the  Greater Accra Region, Nii Ofei III has refuted the media report which was currently circulated on both traditional and social media platforms to the effect that an Accra Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

The gazetted Krokobite Chief stated that the publication claimed that the court has ordered his arrest for engaging in various crimes in the area, including threatening to kill the head of the Nii Arde Nkpa Family, Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe.

The allegations which Nii Ofei III described as a fallacy, “unacceptable, malicious, libelous, and an insult to the intelligence of the principal kingmakers and elders of Kokrobite who installed him as the chief of the area.”

"In my life as a person I have not even killed a fowl or bird before so why should l threaten to kill a human being. This is completely lying. I can also state that no court has issued a bench warrant for my arrest and l ran away to go and hide," Nii Ofei III who is a gazetted Chief of Krokobite declared.

Nii Ofei III expressed lamentation about how six uniformed police officers from the Accra Regional Police Headquarters led by some hooligans used Rambo style to enter into his private house at Krokobite a couple of days ago.

He stated that the police with tacit support from the thugs including Evans Djabu Mensah, Bright Ansah, Djabu Ali Ramal have forced his wife to collect a letter on his behalf they claimed from the Accra Regional Police Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service inviting him (Nii Ofei III) to come to the court to answer some alleged criminal charges leveled against him by Nii Arde Nkpa Family, Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe.

"So when l came home from my village in Dankyira, my wife sorrowfully reported the incident to me that some six men with two police vehicles led by Evans Djabu Mensah, Bright Ansah, Djabu Ali Ramal forced to enter into my house and forced her to collect a letter and subsequently took her a photographer," the Chief confirmed.

He said when he asked his people to read the letter and the context of the letter is inviting him to the court at that time he was not feeling well.

"So l asked two, my elders, to go to the court on my behalf for which they did by way of appearing in the last court which all accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court presided over by Mr. Emmanuel Essandoh adjourned the case to Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

"So when from the allegations that court has ordered for my arrest. l think the writers of the story didn't know what it means for a bench warrant from the court. If you failed to appear in court, the bench warrant is issued to compel your appearance before the judge," he schooled his critics.

He emphasized that he knows that such a story was a cooked or concocted one from those who are fighting against him about the stool to create the impression that he (Nii Ofei III) doesn't respect the law of the land.

According to Nii Ofei III, he is a law-abiding citizen who is the only legitimate, customarily, traditionally, and legally installed Chief of Kokrobite and he would be the last person who will virtually turn down the invitation of the court of competent jurisdiction to answer questions.

Nii Ofei III was reacting to the media publication which suggested that an Accra Circuit Court presided over by His Lordship
Mr. Emmanuel Essandoh has issued a bench warrant for the Nii Ofei III for engaging in various crimes in the area, including threatening to kill the head of the Nii Arde Nkpa Family.

The report indicated that the court earlier issued a bench warrant for the arrest of all the accused, who were said to have escaped while wielding guns and other offensive weapons at a ceremony at Kokrobite, Accra.

The report noted that the accused reportedly ignored several criminal summonses served on them and two others, Nii Offei, Nukman Kwame Agbo, are currently at large.

In that report, Inspector Eric Pobee said on January 6, 2022, an announcement was made at the Kokrobite Information Center that, Mr. Tagoe will address the community on a ruling of an Accra High Court dated December 4, 2021.

The senior police officer said the accused were arrested from their hideout at Kokrobite and during the investigation, the first accused admitted to the offense and mentioned Nii Offei III as the one who ordered him to stop the event.

However, in a quick rebuttal, Nii Ofei stated that he has not ordered anyone to go and destroy canopies, chairs, tables, and spinning machines at the event center in Krokobite.

 Nii Ofei III noted that when his attention was drawn to the information being announced on the public information center by one Mawuvor at Koklobite township on Thursday, January 6, 2022, to the effect that Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe and his followers from Plenor in James Town in Accra would hold a public durbar on Friday, January 7, 2022, for chiefs and elders at Kotia area of Koklobite, which has fallen under his (Nii Ofei III) traditional jurisdiction, he lodged an official complaint about the police.
 

According to the Chief, when he complained about Thursday, January 6, 2022, to the Koklobite Police Station about the misconduct of the elders of the Arde Nkpa Royal Family, the police told him that they were not informed by the elders of Arde Nkpa Royal Family to organize such public durbar at Koklobite.

Following this development, he stated that the police have ranged Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe via telephone call and asked him why he made such a public announcement to organize a public event on Friday, January 7, 2022, at Koklobite township without the notice of the traditional authorities and police.
 
He pointed out that the various explanations offered by Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe to answer the questions did not convince the police for which the police advised him (Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe) to rescind their decision to organize the program.

He stated that the police further cautioned Mr. Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe not to step his foot at the durbar since they want peace to prevail in Koklobite and its adjoining fishing communities in Accra.
 
But unlawfully, according to Nii Ofei III, the elders and members of Arde Nkpa Royal Family have defied the police order by way of mounting tents on Friday, January 7, 2021, at the venue in preparation to hold the durbar, which situation, he stated amounts to the public order offenses.
 
“That very we saw some notorious land-guards and some macho men in the morning at the planned venue background of the highly publicized durbar and l draw the attention to the police officers of Koklobite who eventually went to stop the event, so this what l have done. And l didn't hear of anything about the destructions of items by the organizers until some of the people were arrested and accused of destroying the aforementioned items," Nii Ofei III recounted.

The chief recounted the number of many attempts by the elders and members of the Arde Nkpa Royal Family to disrespect his chieftaincy status and called on the IGP to institute proactive measures to intervene in the case.

On his Chieftaincy Status

Nii Ofei III maintained that he is the only legitimate installed Chief of Kokrobite under the stool name Nii Ofei III, saying that there is nothing like a caretaker chief in Krokobite and that the only person who is recognized by the traditions and customs as the Chief or Overlord of Krokobite is Nii Offei III who was installed by the principal kingmaker, Nii Apeten Acquah.”

He stated that the claim by the NII Ardey Nkpa Family to the effect that the statutory declaration affected the late Chief of the area, Nii Offer II, and so does affect the current Chief of Krokobite, Nii Offer III, was not true and should be disregarded.

According to Nii Ofei III, he succeeded his father, Nii Ofei II after his legitimate election and installation in 2010, and called for at least, a “modicum of respect for him.”

He referred to the current court judgment on Monday, March 22, 2021, for which an Accra High Court presided over by Her Ladyship, Justice Mrs. Olivia Obeng Owusua, slapped a fine of GH¢6,000.00 on the Head of Nii Arde Nkpa Family at Ga Plerno, Mr. Daniel Nii Tagoe, and the Divisional Chief of Ga Plerno, Nii Arde Nkpa VII in a case on the same chieftaincy dispute.

According to him, it was the reason a cost was awarded against the two respondents in favor of Nii Ofei III, in a judgment declared by Mrs. Owusua on Monday, March 22, 2021, following a protracted Kokrobite chieftaincy dispute.

According to him, the case involved a chieftaincy dispute between Mr. Daniel Nii Tagoe, and Nii Arde Nkpa VII—the respondents/plaintiffs versus the Divisional Chief of Kokrobite community—Nii Ofei III (the defendant).

He revealed that the National House of Chiefs (NHCs) on December 13, gazetted him (Nii Ofei III) and his gazette brought a finality to the longstanding fight of who was the legitimate chief to ascend the throne of Kokrobite.

They noted the gazette from the National House of Chiefs gives a legal backing to Nii Ofei III to be recognized as the traditional and customary installed Divisional Chief of Kokrobite.

“To give the gazette a legal backing, the kingmakers, elders, and head of Nii Ofei family of Kokrobite with the approval of members of Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council have taken Nii Ofei III to an Accra High Court Two presided over by Justice Dzimah to swear the judicial oath of membership of the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council,” the chief noted

Sounding peace, the Divisional Chief of Kokrobite sent a chilly warning to individuals and interest groups who have sworn to drag the name of the town in the mud.

Pix: Nii Ofei III, Chief of Krokobite