Wassa Fiase chiefs demand recognition of Krukoko as paramount chief

The Queenmother of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area in the Western Region, Nana Abena Kunadjoa II, and some of her chiefs took to the streets of Tarkwa on Tuesday, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the name of Odeneho Akrofa Krukoko II into the Register of the National House of Chiefs (NHC), as the Paramount Chief of Wassa Fiase.

Abena Kunadjoa II had, before the march, told journalists that they were demanding that the name of Akrofa Krukoko be inserted into the national register of chiefs, because he is the legitimate Paramount Chief of the area.

According to her, uncontested records from the Asumankoma Royal Family clearly confirm Odeneho Krukoko as the occupant of the Wassa Fiase Paramount Stool.

According to her, attempts by two divisional chiefs – Nana Kwedu Kyerefo III and Nana Kandoh Brempong III – to initiate destoolment charges against Odeneho Krukoko on the grounds that he had suffered imprisonment for contempt of court at the Western Regional House of Chiefs (WRHC), were not successful.

This is because the Court of Appeal quashed Odeneho’s conviction for contempt in July 2003.

The Queenmother continued that dissatisfied by the ruling of the WRHC, Kwadu Kyerefo, Nana Kwandoh and five others petitioned the WRHC again on September 2, 2015, with the charge that Odeneho Krukoko vacated the stool as Paramount Chief.

But the two petitioners eventually deserted their petition when they realised that they did not have a strong valid case against the respondent.

The Queenmother contended that no destoolment charges had been levelled against Krukoko, and that, to her, he is the legitimate Paramount Chief of Wassa Fiase.

Krukoko is currently locked up in England and will soon return to the country to ascend the throne as Omanhene of Wassa.

Earlier, in a petition addressed to President Akufo-Addo through the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tarkwa Nsuaem, the petitioners, made up of the Queenmother and other chiefs from Benso, the Apinto Divisional Stool and Bosumtwi among others, requested the Office of the President to confirm the uncontested facts from the WRHC – that Odeneho Akrofa Krukoko is the legitimate Chief of Wassa.

The petitioners also demanded that the Office of the President assist them by providing security support to ensure Odeneho safely continues his work as Omanhene.

“We urgently request you to meet Odeneho on your next visit to Wassa at his palace at Benso and receive him as your host the next time you visit our traditional area.”

Recently, when the President visited Wassa, it had to take the Paramount Chief of Wassa Amenfi to speak on behalf of the chiefs of Wassa Fiase, because of the misunderstanding over who is the legitimate Paramount Chief.

Earlier, an attempt by the police to stop the demonstration was unsuccessful, as the chiefs defied the police and went ahead with the demonstration, without the police providing security.

The District Police Commander had asked the chiefs to reschedule the demonstration on the grounds that they had not agreed on the route to use, but the demonstrators were adamant.

Their reason was that for two years that they had tried to organise the demonstration to drum home their concerns, the Tarkwa police had tied their hands to their backs with flimsy excuses.

As a result, they were ready to defy the police and go ahead with the demonstration.

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