Various legitimately installed chiefs, queen-mothers, heads of families under the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council in the Western North Region, have refuted the viral claim by Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II to the effect that he remains the legitimate Chief of Bibiani/Kyikyiwere and Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council.
The chiefs including by the Abusuapanin of Sewfi Anhwiaso Traditional Area who doubles as Abakomahene of Pataboso, Nana Okofo Berema Kwabena Beng II, the Chief Sefwi Ntakam and Abakomahene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council, Nana Kwadwo Somiah II, provided authentic documentary proof and historical evidence to support their claim that “we don’t have chief in Bibiani.
The chief list in the national archives, now known as the Public Records and Archives Administration Department according to them, outlined the traditional structures for installing chiefs in various recognized towns and villages under the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.
In this list, according to the chiefs, the Bibiani, represented by the Anhwiaso, Nkawie, and Sankori, do not hold a chieftaincy status title, calling on the general public, particularly the land developers, companies and individual personalities doing businesses in Bibiani to stop dealing in lands and chieftaincy matters with Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II as substantive chief of Bibiani Township.
Claiming as Bibianihene and Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area; these legitimate traditional rulers indicated that the real fact of matter is that Bibiani has never had a substantive chief from the inception of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.
According to them, per traditional and chieftaincy arrangements, the President of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council has always appointed a caretaker of Bibiani to administer on his behalf.
They recounted an instance where Nana Kodom’s late uncle, the former Krotihene, unsuccessfully sought confirmation as the substantive Bibianihene.
“In January 21, 1981, Ngoah Anyimah Kodom’s predecessor, Kofi Ngoah III,the former Krontihene wrote through the registrar of Anhwiaso Tradional Council appealing to Omanhene to change the status of Omanhene’s representative at Bibiani (Ankobea Division, Kronti Division and others, to permanent chief of Bibiani to oversee the affairs of Bibiani but this request was woeful denied by the then Omanhene of their request,” the narrated.
The rejection of Nana Kodom’s predecessor’s request for Bibiani chieftaincy status by the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council was attributed to the existence of other royal factions under the Anhwiaso Stool in Bibiani.
Contrary to Nana Kodom’s claims, historical documents and evidence from the national archives of Ghana which were provided by the chiefs affirm that Nana Kodom was installed as an Odikro of Kyikyiwere, not as the Bibianihene.
The chiefs condemned Nana Kodom’s unlawful actions and vowed to address the issue to uphold traditional customs, saying that Nana Kodom always lied and distorted the historical fact of Bibiani and that the general public should ignored his fake media reports.
They indicated that Nana Kodom was previously destooled as the sub-chief of Kyikyiwere and Krotihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council, as well as a caretaker of Bibiani, accusing him of using illegal tactics to assert his claim as the substantive Chief of Bibiani.
Against this background, the traditional rulers served warning to Nana Kodom to refrain from holding himself as the Chief of Bibiani/ Kyikyiwere and Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council.
They further warned Nana Kodom II to stop performing certain traditional and administrative functions which are reserved for Anarfi Abebio who is the current genuinely and traditionally installed Chief of Kyikyiwere and a Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council.
The chiefs made these foregoing remarks at a press conference to respond to some erroneous impressions being peddled by Nana Kodom against Paramount Chief (Omanhene) of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II and entire people of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.
Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II in his recent press conference dated May 21, 2024 insisted that he remains the legitimate Chief of Bibiani.
Nana, who has faced decades-long challenge as to his legitimacy, has stated that all the facts and recent history attest to the fact that he is the legitimate Chief of Bibiani.
He said that indeed aspects of the matter has travelled as high as the Supreme Court of Ghana, and at all points, he has come out as victorious.
But in a counter-press conference held at Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council on Saturday May 25, 2024 addressed by Nana Kwadwo Somiah II who doubles as a member of National House of Chiefs,Nana Kwadwo Sumia II, the chiefs challenged Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom’s chieftaincy status, stressing that no court of competent jurisdiction and National Register of Chiefs have confirmed Nana Kodom’s status as chief of the Bibiani/Kyikyiwere.
They stressed that the traditional and chieftaincy records in the area have indicated that Nana Kodom has lawfully, traditionally and customarily destooled as the chief of Kyikyiwere and Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council, which justified that his earlier appointment by the President of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council as the chief of Bibiani was valid any more.
They reaffirmed that Anarfi Abebio is the chief of Kyikyiwere and Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council, adding that Anarfi Abebio has been lawfully and legally appointed by President of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II a caretaker of the Bibiani per the law of the council.
They accused Nana Kodom of fueling land and chieftaincy conflicts in the area, which situation is affecting development, peace and human security.
According to them, Nana Kodom is trying to usurp the powers of the Paramount Chief and performing certain functions which were against the customs and traditions upon which Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area was founded.
They blamed some self-seeking elders of the area for conniving with Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom to engage in those acts which has the tendency of breaching the peace and security of the area.
“We wish to make it abundantly clear that our patience in the interest of peace has been fully exhausted. We will no longer sit by and watch Ngoah Anyimah Kodom to be destroying the integrity of our Paramount Chief and other traditional office holders,” the chiefs fumed.
For these chiefs of the council, they stated that all the statement of claims and various documentations Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom II provided to journalists during the press conference he organized are false and fake.
“We are saying that Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom’s legitimate as Chief of Bibiani/ Krontihene is still under bone of contention for which the elders of the Krontihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council have served him with fresh chieftaincy summons to that effect. Our attention has been drawn to comments being made by the said Ngoah Anyimah Kodom during his ill press conferences dated May, 21 2024 against Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II (Omanhene and President of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council and entire people of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area,” the chiefs noted.
They indicated that records available show that the Kronti Stool is at Kyekyewere and not Bibiani.
“Even the Traditional Council, which is the government instituted body that oversees the affairs of the Traditional Area has no such record of Bibiani,” the chiefs noted.
On the points 3, 4 of the said press conference by Nana Kodom, the traditional rulers stressed that no judgment has been made in favour of him, confirming him as Bibianihene and Krontihene of the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.
“As stated, making reference to chieftaincy act 1971 (Act 370), The same chieftaincy Act 2008, amended (Act 759) section 61, and 62 stated clearly, the process of destoolment of a chief and contempt charges, ref, to suit no.
The Republic Vrs Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, Charles Kwabena Frimpong alias Nana Anarfi Ababio Ex- parte: Nana Ngoah Anyimah Kodom woefully against your statement as Bibianihene. Present the true facts of the matter to the general public,” they noted.
According to the chiefs, the court carefully scrutinized before ruling in favour for Nana Anarfi Ababio and Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, that makes Anarfi to hold himself as a chief of sub-chief of Kyikyiwere and Krotihene of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Council in the Western Region.
On point 10, 11 of Ngoah Anyimah Kodom’s write up, they explained that the king makers have filed motion of destoolment against him as stated in his statement.
“Again, all royalties come in the name Anhwiaso Stool before disbursement which omanhene is the highest authority of the stool therefore grants him as an allodia title holder.
“On point 14, which states that Omanhene or overlord does not own stool land of his subordinate is false. According to land act 2020, Act 1036, section 5, 6,7 all customary lands are under auspices of the paramount Stool,” they explained.
For his part, Abusuapanin of Sewfi Anhwiaso Traditional Area who doubles as Abakomahene of Pataboso, Nana Okofo Berema Kwabena Beng II, expressed worry about the continuous misconduct of Ngoah Anyimah Kodom.
Nana Okofo Berema Kwabena Beng II, noted that the continuous attitude of Ngoah Anyimah Kodom to peddle lies by way of distorting historical fact of the area made him to look like someone who was adopted into their family.
Mincing no words, Nana Okofo Berema Kwabena Beng II, therefore, cautioned anyone dealing with Ngoah Anyimah Kodom in business or otherwise to be guided, or do so at their own risk.
He described as fake all the documents Ngoah Anyimah Kodom has been using to support his claim that he remains the legitimate chief of the area.
He told the journalists that “we have performed the necessary traditions and customs to destool him, the claim the Queen-Mother of Kyekyewere, Nana Abena Birago II has supported.
“I am showing these documentary evidence to justify our strong claims of how we have been receiving series of complaints from many unsuspecting Ghanaians over the double sales of land involving Ngoah Anyimah Kodom.
“We saying that is a high for us to tell the general public, particularly the land developers to be mindful of illegal misconduct of Anyimah Kodom because since he was destooled as Chief of Kyikyiwere and Krontihene of Sefwi
Anhwiaso Traditional Council, he [Ngoah Anyimah Kodom] has been using his illegitimate chieftaincy status as Bibianihene to be making double sale of a plot of land to three or more people.
“…and that whenever the land developers have detected unlawful land transaction deal and went to him [Ngoah Anyimah Kodom] to collect their monies, he uses his bull dog to chase them out from his private house at Bibiani. We have hard evidence of these statements we were making today against Ngoah Anyimah Kodom,” he stressed.
Nana Okofo Berema Kwabena Beng II dared Ngoah Anyimah Kodom to take “us to the law court for us to meet him there over these matters in claim that he has not done what we are about him.
Nana Okofo Berema Kwabena Beng II, also reaffirmed that per the tradition of the area, the chief who is mandated traditionally and lawfully to control Bibiani is Anarfi Abebio.
