Tension Brews At New Juaben

Tension is mounting in the New Juaben Traditional Area of the Eastern Region after the regional police command backed down on its word to allow about 15 sub-chiefs of the traditional area to slaughter a sheep in front of the Omanhene’s palace to invoke the great deity of Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, and to traditionally summon Daasebre (Prof) Oti Boateng, the Omanhene, to answer charges of gross disrespect to his elders and sub-chiefs, as well as disrespecting the customs of the traditional area.

The chiefs include the Abesimhene, Nana Akwasi Adarkwa I; the Nseniehene, Nana Annor Boateng II; Jumakwahene, Nana Okoh Yaw Acheampong, Mpampamahene, Nana Mpampama Oware; Ntaharahene, Nana Kwame Baafi Yeboah, as well as some royals of the Yiadom-Hwedie royal family.

As at press time yesterday, more than 50 armed policemen had cordoned off the Omanhene’s palace at Srodae and taken strategic positions around the palace to prevent any group from going ahead to invoke the great Asantehene’s deity as announced by the aggrieved sub-chiefs, and summon Daasebre Oti Boateng before the Asantehene.

The chiefs said they had wanted to slaughter the sheep at the Jackson Park in April this year and wrote to the police about their intention but the police prevented them from doing that because they said the Jackson Park was a public place and that the police could provide security only if it was done in front of the chief’s palace.

According to the chiefs, they did not understand why the police should prevent them again from invoking the deity which according to them was a purely traditional thing or requirement, after officially notifying them.

The chiefs said as far as they were concerned, Daasebre Oti Boateng had a lot of questions to answer regarding his 20-year stewardship as Omanhene.

“Daasebre Oti Boateng has not accounted to the people of New Juaben with regard to some donations made towards the development of the area and allowances for sub-chiefs and has also showed gross disrespect to his elders and sub-chiefs,” Nana Adarkwa II said.

The sub-chiefs also said that they did not recognise the queenmother of the traditional area, Nana Yaa Daani, because the traditional council impeached her in 2009 for publicly insulting the Omanhene and using some ‘unprintable’ words on his person.

“We want to respect the police now but we will definitely perform that ritual to invoke the Asantehene’s deity,” the Nseniehene stated.

The chiefs said Daasebre Oti Boateng tried to stop them from celebrating Akwasidae in their individual palaces and also sitting in state but the court of law ruled against him.

“That is how autocratic the Omanhene is,” the chiefs said.

The regional police commander, DCOP Kwabene Gyamera-Yeboah, told pressmen yesterday that he dispatched the policemen to the place to prevent the performance of the ritual because that could undermine the security of the traditional area, especially in this election year.

Daasebre Oti Boateng was not available for his comment because DAILY GUIDE learnt he was attending to an important engagement in Accra.