Otumfuo’s Akwamuhene, Baffour Kwame Akowuah III and the Omanahene (paramount chief) of Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area, Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah are fighting for supremacy over Datano, a community in the Amansie West district of the Ashanti Region.
Each of them is claiming Datano owes allegiance to him and have installed chiefs to represent their interest in the community.
Datano happens to be under the Manso Adubia Stool and owes allegiance to the Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area.
Upon the death of the chief of Datano, Nana Kwadwo Boateng III, alias Mr. Kwadwo Nimo in February 2016, Otumfuo’s Akwamuhene and overlord of Manso Akwamu, who is also the chief of Asafo in Kumasi installed a chief in the person of Nana Adjei, alias Kwadwo Francis for the town last April.
The Chronicle has gathered that Nana Adjei swore the oath of allegiance to the chief of Abiram in April this year.
He says Nana Boateng III, who he succeeded was not a member of the royal Asona family, a claim Nana Akwasi Boateng IV disputes that the deceased chief had been Odikro of Datano for many years.
The Omanhene of Manso Nkwanta Traditional Area, where Datano serves as Benkum wing also installed a chief in the person of Nana Akwasi Boateng IV, alias Nana Akwasi Buor, on December 12, 2016, with the support of Nana Pomaa II, Obaapanin of Datano.
As a result a situation of insecurity has thus been created in the town, resulting in bloody clashes between followers of the two factions, resulting in the exile of the Nana Boateng whose palace had allegedly been ransacked by supporters of Nana Adjei.
It is alleged that GHc85,000 and some gold ornaments were stolen during the attack on Nana Boateng’s palace, which was later set ablaze.
Datano happens to be part of Manso Adubia stool lands, which also serves Manso Nkwanta, hence the conviction that it is not traditional for the chief of Datano to swear an oath of allegiance to Abiramhene, who owes allegiance to the Asafohene.
Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah indicated that reports have been lodged to the District and Regional Police Commands but no serious action had been taken in respect of complaints.
He has thus petitioned the Ashanti regional Security Council (REGSEC) over the prevailing insecurity at Datano saying REGSEC’s intervention to avoid the town being rendered a ghost town.
He said guns are being shot indiscriminately to intimidate and harass followers of Nana Boateng without any reasonable cause. Nana Boateng has since last week gone into self-exile to save his life.
The Omanhene suspects that the Police have taken sides by seeing the development as purely chieftaincy instead of moving in to protect lives hence the petition for REGSEC’s intervention without any further delay to ensure that sanity , peace and respect of the law and order in the community prevails.
Meanwhile, COP Kofi Boakye, Ashanti Regional Police Commander reacting to the concerns of the Omanhene, said three persons had initially been arrested and that the Command was in touch with the Manhyia Palace to ascertain the claims of the two chiefs concerned.
According to the Police Commander, the Omanhene of Manso Nkwanta had earlier been cautioned and restrained from fuelling the situation by installing a rival chief while investigations were being conducted but went ahead and breached the Public Order Act 419 by installing another chief for the community, which automatically sparked off hostilities between the followers of the two sides.
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