'Kumawuhene' has started fomenting tensions

Being a man of his words, a puppet goaded by his Overlord and ready to do his master's bidding all of the time, Dr Yaw Sarfo, who is masquerading as Kumawuhene going by the stool name Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, has incited his handful of supporters to start violence in Kumawuman.

Going back in time, he announced that he was going to prove to the people of Kumawuman who the owner of the land is. This is following the clearly irresponsible court ruling by one Justice Charles Wilson on the contempt of court case filed against Dr Yaw Sarfo, Kumawuhemaa Nana Abenaa Serwaah, Kumawu Nifahene and Kumawu Gyasehene, in his favour. Even though he disregarded a court injunction restraining him from any attempts to be sworn in as Kumawuhene until a case pending before the Judicial Committee of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs had been determined (Kumawu palace items and stool properties inventoried), Justice Charles Wilson in his ruling dismissed the case and purportedly referred them back to the Judicial Committee.

Dr Yaw Sarfo then published in some Ghanaian newspapers that he has won all the court cases brought against him with regard to his doubtful enstoolment as Kumawuhene and that from that instance forward, he was going to assert his authority in Kumawuman.

He allegedly issued a verbal declaration to stop the popular and publicly accepted Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V from celebrating his sister's funeral. He said he would prove to him that he, the masquerading Kumawuhene Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, is the only, and one Kumawuhene. He said he is determined by all means possible to ensure that Barima Tweneboa Kodua V, a true royal from the Ananangya royal family, the matrilineal descendants of Barima Tweneboa Kodua I, the originator of the Kumawu Kodua Stool, never attended the funeral as Kumawuhene with a kingly umbrella over his head.

Truly as alleged, his "Ahenfie" (palace) boys numbering about twenty descended on Kumawu-Bodomase where the funeral was being held on Saturday 2nd April 2016 with machetes, guns folded and tied to their thighs/legs and other dangerous weapons with intent to disrupt the funeral. They said to have come to spy on, and to ensure that, Barima Tweneboa Kodua V, has no umbrella over his head or else, they would deal with him mercilessly. They went to Bodomase in two pick-up vans and a taxi.

Again, intelligence information received indicated that they had planned to physically eliminate (kill) Barima Tweneboa Kodua V and Kumawu Akwamuhene Nana Bafo II. In the morning, they chased Nana Akwamuhene who then drove to the Kumawu Police Station. These boys followed him up to the police station but the District Police Commander in Kumawu even though was informed of their intentions through a complaint lodged by Nana Akwanmuhene, he couldn't be bothered. He did not arrest them. He only advised Akwamuhene that if the boys had decided to injure or kill him if he attended the funeral, he will only advise him to stay away from the funeral as human life is precious.

Yes, human life is precious and his advice credible. However, is it how the police should behave; refusing to even verbally warn those intending-murderers? Nana Akwamuhene went back to Wonoo deciding not to attend the funeral as admonished by the Police Commander. Later, he decided to go when the supporters of Barima Tweneboa Kodua V were alerted to what had happened and they rushed down to Wonoo in a car to fetch him.

In a nutshell, the supporters of Dr Yaw Sarfo picked a fight with the supporters of Barima Tweneboa Kodua V in Kumawu-Bodomase, his own home turf. The alleged Kumawuhene Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua’s (Dr Yaw Sarfo) boys were overwhelmed by the supporters of Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V. They then ran away to lay ambush at Mpapremu for those who would go to bury Diana, the deceased younger sister of Barima Tweneboa Kodua V, whose sorrowful death occurred in Brussels in February 2016.

They fired warning gunshots into the bush and used other deadly weapons to fight the supporters of Barima Tweneboa Kodua V when they took Diana to her final resting place at Mpapremu in Kumawu, the burial ground for the matrilineal descendants of Barima Tweneboa Kodua I.

Serious intelligence information indicates that Dr Yaw Sarfo’s boys have vowed to eliminate both, or one of, the following persons, Barima Tweneboa Kodua V and Akwamuhene Nana Bafo II, without whom there will be no longer any legal or physical challenge to Dr Yaw Sarfo and his bogus enstoolment as Kumawuhene. The Kumawu police have been alerted to this but the Police Commander who not long ago accepted a free gift (sheep) from Dr Yaw Sarfo and who is a lapdog to Kumawuhemaa and Dr Yaw Sarfo, is keeping a blind eye to it.

Dr Yaw Sarfo has not even 5% of Kumawuman to his camp as against about 95% supporting Barima Tweneboa Kodua V yet, he is courting disaster. He should bear in mind the law of self-defence and the natural law or principle of ACTION AND REACTION.

Could Dr Yaw Sarfo be that naive? Is using his small number of supporters to initiate violence the most appropriate way to assert his nonsensical authority? Who is advising him to take that line of action? Is it Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Kumawuhemaa Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah, or his Spokesperson Dr James London? Should the violence escalate, or any death takes place, Dr Yaw Sarfo will be held squarely responsible. He must take care before the violence he has absurdly started engulfs him. He is playing with fire and fire will surely burn him.

Barima Tweneboa Kodua V who although is not a coward, listened to the admonition by the Police Commander. He never went to the funeral with his usual umbrella as advised by the police. This was to ward off any trouble yet the bunch of ignoramuses presided over by Dr Yaw Sarfo still went there looking for a fight.

They have been laying ambush stopping any car that looks like the one driven by Barima Tweneboa Kodua V. Dr Yaw Sarfo had better stop his boys before the worst happens. If the worse does happen, he will live to regret the day that he was born.

Are there not two chiefs in Tuoabodom in the Brong-Ahafo region? Are there not two chiefs in Suhyen in the Eastern region? Were there, or are there, not two paramount chiefs in Accra? In these mentioned areas, has any rival chief been terrorising the other? No! Then why is a faceless person inciting Dr Yaw Sarfo to play the fool by causing trouble that will in the end consume him? He had better wise up for he has not the public support and any violence or his stupid initiatives will not gain him the public support but rather public condemnation.

Rockson Adofo