Obrempong Hima Dekyi XVI, Paramount Chief of Upper Dixcove in the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly (AWMA) of the Western Region has called on the security agencies and President Nana Akufo-Addo to intervene in bringing lasting peace to the people of Dixcove so that they can freely go about their duties.
He lamented that in recent times Dixcove has been in the news for the bad reason as there have been frequent attacks on innocent people and sometimes leading to the loss of lives.
Obrempong Dekyi XVI made the appeal when addressing a press conference in Takoradi after a Sub-Chief of Upper Dixcove was beaten to a pulp by some unknown assailants while Nana Diako Kra was stripped naked and assaulted in public by a group of young men on Monday, upon his return from that Lower Dixcove.
“These are the era where everybody is seeking for development and it is therefore absurd and weird that you wake up in the morning and all you hear is that there is an attack here and there, and people cannot even go out to do their duties ”, he lamented.
He opined there have been several attacks with the current one being the sixth hence, the right time for the President of the Republic and the good people of Ghana to know so that together we can sit and find solutions to some of these problems.
According to him, as Chiefs, they owe it a fiduciary role to ensure that they protect their subjects, get them the best of employment and development instead of taking from them what was bequeathed to them to actually use and ensuring that they get the development they want.
He empathised with the Nananom and family members who were brutalised last Monday as a result of the attack on their persons by the yet to identify assailants in Dixcove near Agona-Nkwanta.
He also thanked the Ghana Police Service for their swift and timely intervention and rescuing the victims and sending them to the hospital without which many lives would have been lost.
He indicated that though Dixcove has been divided into two paramountcies there was only one land which he is the overlord of all the lands, however land has been the cause for the litigations which has led to the brutalities all this while.
Obrempong Dekyi recounted that Nana Kwesi Agyeman IX, Paramount Chief of Lower Dixcove was a Divisional Chief under the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy, but for political reasons was elevated to a Paramountcy.
However, he said the right and interest in the land still reserves in the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy which he (Obrempong Dekyi) occupies.
He stated that Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX does not understand why he is a Paramount Chief and still has to pledge his allegiance to the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy and therefore sought a redress from the Courts a number of times but lost in all.
He said by the decisions of the Court to put those kinds of disputes to arrest there was issuance of a Rejudicature Estoppel which has got to mean that those who came before him, himself and those who will come after him were bound to respect the decisions of the Court.
“However, it appears that there is the rule of strength working contrary to the rule of law even though we live in a country governed by law and if you don’t agree with one on certain matters, it does not arrive to the point where we raise machetes and guns, and clubs and be killing ourselves when the constitution has laid down procedures to address all grievances”, he opined.
He added that in all the Courts’ ruling, the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy was adjudged the right ownership of land and Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX was asked to atone tenancy to the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy asking that they recover all the affected lands taken possession by the Lower Dixcove Paramountcy.
According to him, out of the 48 communities in Dixcove, Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX currently occupies 39 out of those communities which were rightfully for the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy.
However, he has never engaged Nana Kwesi Agyemeng IX on the lands since he was enstooled to enable peace to prevail, however, he keeps fighting him for the the 9 communities left under him thereby making residents unable to even step foot on the land, becoming aliens on their own lands and not being allowed to enjoy the fruits of their victory.
He mentioned that Torome was one of the cluster communities which has suffered brutalities in the hands of Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX even though he took the matter to Municipal Security Committee (MISEC) to be settled but lost the case and compelled to respect the decisions of the Court rulings.
He said MISEC further cautioned the police to keep constant vigilance on Torome lands and arrest any trespassers who would try to breach the relative peace of the Upper Dixcove Paramountcy.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
