The Divisional Chief of Ahanta Akatakyi in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, Nana Bozza IX, who was recently hauled before a Takoradi Circuit Court for an alleged fraud, has been destooled by the kingmakers of the Anona Royal family in the area.
Kojo Amissah, a native of the farming community, who witnessed the destoolment process, toldDAILY GUIDE in an interview that the chief was destooled for his alleged involvement in a fraud case.
The chief is alleged to have misappropriated an amount of GH¢1,100,000.00 meant to compensate residents in the area whose farm produce were destroyed to pave way for the construction of a campus for Takoradi Polytechnic (T-Poly) at Akatakyi.
Amissah told DAILY GUIDE that the alleged involvement of the chief in the fraud case had not only disgraced the stool and the community but also the Omanhene of Ahanta Traditional Area, Nana Baidoo Bonsoe.
“And so members of the Anona family, led by the family head, Annor Mensah, performed the necessary rites to destool the chief of Akatakyi,” Kojo Amissah indicated.
It would be recalled that Nana Bozza IX was recently hauled before a Takoradi Circuit Court presided over by Christina Donkor and was granted bail in the sum of GH¢1,100,000.000 with four sureties to be justified.
The chief pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned to April 18, 2016.
Prosecuting, DSP Richard Boatey told the court that the complainant in the case is the Rector of Takoradi Polytechnic, Rev Professor John Frank Eshun, while the accused is the divisional chief of Akatakyi.
He indicated that in the year 2012, the accused sold out 153 acres of land belonging to some individual families from Akatakyi to the management of Takoradi Polytechnic at a cost of GH¢1,100,000.00.
The prosecutor added that the amount the chief collected from the management of the institution included compensation to be paid to the affected families as agreed.
DSP Boatey mentioned that all efforts made by the management of T-Poly for the chief to abide by the agreement proved futile.
According to him, when the management of T-Poly started developing the land, the affected families attacked them and demonstrated against the ongoing project.
On March 29, 2016 the management made a report to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused, the prosecution said, adding, “Investigations are ongoing.”
DCE
Speaking to journalists, the Ahanta West District Chief Executive (DCE), Joseph Dofoyena, confirmed the arrest of the chief and corroborated the purchase of the land for the project.
He noted that prior to the development of the land, it was agreed that those whose crops, coconut trees and palm trees, among others, were destroyed would be compensated.
The DCE confirmed that an amount of GH¢1,100,000.00 was therefore paid to the chief which included compensation.
However, since then, the chief had allegedly failed to give out the monies due the affected residents.
The DCE pointed out that the District Security Committee (DISEC) had made some attempts to let the chief pay the monies to the individual families to no avail.
According to Mr Dofoyena, at one of the meetings, the chief promised to pay the affected families what was due them by the end of February this year “so I told the people that by the end of March they would get their compensation.”
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