A Circuit Court in Weija in Accra, presided over by His Honour, Mr. Bernard Bentil, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the Chief at Kokrobite community, Nii Offei III for refusing to appear before the court on June Tuesday 12, 2018.
The bench warrant, New Crusading GUIDE learnt was issued after the members of Nii Ardey Nkpa family of Kokrobite dragged Nii Offei III to the court to answer questions on conspiracy to commit crime of defrauding with false pretense contrary to section 134 Act 1960, and for selling lands belonging to the Nii Ardey Nkpa family to two land developers.
However, this paper discovered that Nii Offei III who was earlier arrested by the police officers at the Weija Divisional Police on Thursday June 7, 2018 and granted bail in connection with the case failed to appear before court on June Tuesday 21, 2018, which was set aside to hear the case.
The paper gathered that the development informed the decision of the court to order the arrest of Nii Offei III and bring him to court on Tuesday June 19, 2018 for trial.
Speaking in an interview with journalists on Thursday June 14, 2018, head Nii Ardey Nkpa family, Mr. Daniel Nii Ardey Nkpa Tagoe noted that Nii Offei has allegedly sold some plots of land at Kokrobite belonging to Nii Ardey Npka family to two land developers without the knowledge and consent of the family.
According to him, Nii Offei is not recognised and has not been traditionally and customarily installed as the chief of Kokrobite, stressing that Nii Offei Ill does not have any capacity and locus to sell lands to anybody in the area.
He pointed out that the move by Nii Offei III to sell the said land to unsuspecting Ghanaians amounted to a “complete fraud and criminality,” hence their decision to drag Nii Offei III and Rev. Nii Tackie Tagoe to court to answer charge of fraud.
He warned all Ghanaians to stop doing any land transactions with Nii Offei and his followers in the Kokrobite community in Accra else they would risk losing their landed properties.
Mr. Tagoe further warned Nii Offei III to stop holding himself as a chief of Kokrobite, since according to him, plans were underway to install rightful chief to man the traditional and chieftaincy affairs in the area.
But in a quick rebuttal, Nii Offei III described the allegations levelled against him by Nii Ardey Nkpa family as “completely baseless and unfounded,” saying that it was a calculated attempt to soil his chieftaincy and traditional reputation, adding that there is no legal basis to the claim of my accusers.
Nii Offei III noted that it was not deliberate for him to refuse to appear before court on Tuesday June 21, 2018, but that after he was invited by police on Thursday June 7, 2018, over the case, the police officers told him that he would be arraigned before court on Friday June 8, 2018.
“So when we went to the court that Friday, none of my accusers were in court that day. But when the case was called, the court told my lawyer that we did not bring any docket so we were asked to go home and the court will fixed the date for the hearing of the case.
“On Monday June 11, 2018, the prosecutor in charge of the case called me via telephone around 4:30 PM, but at that time l am sick and admitted at Zion Hospital at Gbawe in Accra. But l had taken medication at the hospital, I was dizzy and l couldn’t answer the call of the prosecutor.
“So on the day of going to court that Tuesday since l am still on the admission l asked my elders and kinsmen to represent me in court.
“However when the case was called and my elders told the court that l am on admission and that l cannot come to court, l was informed that the prosecutor got angry and prayed the court to issue bench warrant for my arrest for which the court too granted his request” he lamented.
He pointed out although he knows something about the sale of the land to two land developers, the said land was legally and genuinely sold by the members of Kokrobite Stool Council in the knowledge of Nii Ardey Nkpa and Nii Offei families, the two families are owners of the Kokrobite lands.
He said the members of the council confronted him together with Nii Ardey Ansah II and Reverened Nii Tackie Tagoe to sign the said land indenture for which they it.
He explained that their reasons to endorse the land indenture for the council was based on traditional and chieftaincy capacities entrusted onto their hands by members of Nii Offei and Nii Ardey Nkpa families to supervise and deal with all documentations covering the landed properties within Kokrobite.
“So we do not do know where the allegation of fraud and illegality are coming from. We are surprised that members of Nii Ardey Nkpa family who were party to selling off the land to two land developers are angry and taken us to court with the charge of fraud. Because this is not the first time we have signed documentations of land indenture in Kokrobite community.
“We want to tell Mr.Daniel Nii Ardey Nkpa Tagoe and his followers to take a second look at their stance against us. Because we have done what is legitimate and proper to the Kokrobite Stool Council which is a legally constituted chieftaincy body. We are of the strong believe that their legal battle against us will not hold water,” Nii stressed.
He said that they were just doing so to create unnecessary confusion in the area. “And they must stopped that act,” Nii Offei warned.
