Refrain from transacting land business with anyone at Mprim-Odumase - Chief cautions general public

The chief of Mprim-Pampaso, Nana Boakye Yiadom, has cautioned the general public to desist from transacting any form of land business with anyone at Mprim Odumase, a suburb community under his reign.

He said any individual or group who flouts his orders does so at their own peril.

In a press conference addressed to the media on behalf of the chief, lawyer Anthony Adu Nketiah, Mprim-Pampaso stool land lawyer, specified that the business, be it a land deal or project negotiation, should be put to a stop.

According to him, both Mprim-Pampaso and Mprim-Odaho, which are all under the Mampong traditional area, have been classified under one divisional area that is being headed by one chief, Nana Boakye Yiadom, and that Odumase has never had its own separate chief in the history of its existence.

The chief's statement further revealed that the entire community has been shocked to come across a video on social media in which one Kwaku Agyemang Duah has been claiming himself as the chief of Mprim-Odumase with the title Nana Agyemang Duah.

"I want to emphatically state that there is no supposed chief in Odumase; Mprim-Odumase is part of Mprim-Pampaso under one chief. Even if Odumase was supposed to get a separate chief, the said Agyemang Duah does not qualify because he is not a royal member," the chief said.

Nana added that he and his elders, upon seeing the video, went to the Mampong Chief, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, to find out if he had enstooled Kwaku Agyemang Duah as the chief of Odumase. According to him, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II made it clear that he had not enstooled anyone as the chief of Odumase.

"Daasebre said he only enstooled Kwaku Agyemang Duah as the Fontonfrom chief of the Mampong palace and did not enstool him as the chief of Odumase, as he now claims himself. The behaviour of Kwaku Agyemang Duah depicts violence within this area, which we do not want to see. We're therefore calling on the IGP to intervene immediately," the chief added.

Nana Boakye is therefore cautioning the general public to desist from striking any land deal with the said Nana Agyemang Duah in the name of acquiring land for any project. "Anyone who does that does it at his own peril."

According to the chief and his elders, Kwaku Agyemang Duah has made several attempts to sell some parcels of land without permission, and has already begun demarcating a cemetery.

Residents who spoke with this reporter on the sidelines revealed that the brewing tension requires immediate intervention from the Mampong Chief, the Asante overlord, Otumfuor Osei Tutu, the IGP, and all other stakeholders before things escalate.

Reacting to the allegations, Nana Kwaku Agyemang Duah revealed that none of the allegations levelled against him were true. According to him, he is the legitimate chief of Odumase, and he has not been the first person to be made chief of the area.

"I succeeded my uncles and my grandfathers, and I am the fourth on the stool. If anyone tells you this town has no chief and that it is under Mprim-Pampaso, that is a lie."

Documents and pictures displayed by the chief indicated that he had been enstooled as both Fontonfrom chief and Mprim-Odumase chieftaincy position by the Mamponghene, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II.

In a part of the document signed for the registrar by (Owusuaa Ampem Adu, it read, "Mr. Agyemang Duah has sworn the oath of allegiance to Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, Mamponghene, on Monday, October 3rd, 2022, as the sub-chief of Mprim-Odumase and Fontonfromhene in the Mampong traditional area under the stool name Nana Agyemang Duah."

 The chief, who further denied the various allegations, disclosed that he has always lived in peace with everyone and that there was no iota of truth in the violent allegation that was also levelled against him.

"We were here when the linguist of the Mprim-Pampaso declared war against me on an information center. But ask, if I spited a word. I see all these as orcastrations by some detractors who are not comfortable with my legitimate reign. You can go to the Mampong palace to confirm if I'm not the Odumase chief." He said.

The chief, who also reacted to the land issue, said he has not sold any land ever since he became a chief. "I am hearing them say that I have sold a cemetery. I only wrote to the Mampong Municipal Assembly for a new place where we can use as our cemetery, and that is what we have been working on. I have not sold any land." He said.

Nana Kwaku Agyemang Duah finally urged his indigenes to remain peaceful as they have been for all these while since he is committed to ensuring development within the community.

"I remain resolute and focused. There is peace, and there will always be peace. There is no tension here, as they have been claiming. They rather want to destabilise our peace, but the fact is, my people and I always remain focused on ensuring development." He concluded.