Why is the Police meddling in the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute?

For the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), COP David Asante-Apeatu, I would like to inquire from you about why the police personnel are needlessly, or are fond of, interfering, in the ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy dispute?

Is it not said, don't fix it when it is not broken? Has there been any ongoing factional fighting in Kumawuman? No; then why this quick succession of police presence in Kumawu at the crack of Kumawuhemaa and Dr Yaw Sarfo, the alleged Kumawuhene's fingers?

Since 18 January 2015 when Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V, the people's choice by a majority acceptance of his utmost royal eligibility celebrated his first traditional Akwasidae, the Ghana Police have not ceased rearing their head in Kumawu to terrorise him, his sub-chiefs and his supporters who form about 95% of the Kumawuman subjects.

Just yesterday, Sunday 12 February 2017, the police once again stormed Kumawu under the pretext of having come to protect Dr Yaw Sarfo who goes by the stool name Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua to celebrate his Akwasidae and to accompany him to pour a special libation at a specific part of Kumawu.

Have the Ghana police now turned into Kingmakers or what? When Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V was about to celebrate the funeral of his deceased younger sister, Diana, on Saturday 2nd April 2016, he was invited to attend a meeting with the police and the Ashanti Regional Peace Council.

The police issued some threats to him to not conduct himself as a chief and not to attend the funeral with umbrellas over his head all in attempts to denigrate him and to insult the intelligence of the subjects of Kumawuman.

The issued police threats did empower the supporters of Dr Yaw Sarfo to proceed to Bodomase on the funeral day with intent to disrupt the funeral if Barima Tweneboa Kodua V was found breaching any of the orders to him by the police.

Again, as he is about to celebrate the funeral of his late sub-chief, Nana Okyere Krapa II, the Kumawu Akyempemhene, the police have once again invited him with intent to threaten him similarly as happened previously.

This is the very reason why they have started congregating in Kumawu under the pretext of coming to protect Kumawuhene Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua to celebrate his Akwasidae.

How biased could the police be! They had better follow the ongoing court proceedings, learn the Kumawu traditions, and know the terms of membership of States to the Asante Confederacy, now the Asanteman Council, to ascertain for themselves whether or not Asantehene (Otumfuo Osei Tutu II) is the Overlord of Asanteman with the unrestricted powers to do as he wants when he wants.

The police had better learn their own terms of reference with regard to interferingin chieftaincy disputes. They should not stoop too low to allow themselves to be used as an instrument of oppression by selfish and corrupt individuals calling themselves overlords or chiefs to intimidate the law-abiding subjects of Kumawuman.

The police have aided Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Kumawuhemaa Nana Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah and Kumawuhene Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua to perpetrate crimes against Kumawuman and her subjects for far too long.

This attitude of the police brutality and partiality against Kumawuhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V and his sub-chiefs and supporters must stop before it probably escalates into bloodbath. The police had better find a better job of national interest which is legal and befits their status, to do, before their petty threatening interventions in Kumawu with the aim of propping Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua’s illegal accession to the Kumawu Kodua Stool degenerates into violence.

When you push an animal to a corner, it fights back to regain its freedom, no matter how coward it is. Similarly, when you threaten a coward for far too long, there comes a day that he will muster courage to assert his freedom or fight back. This is well said in the Akan proverb and parlance, Se wo pam ohufo3 a wo to ne barima.

The biased police personnel who are allowing themselves to be manipulated by Asantehene, Kumawuhemaa and Dr Yaw Sarfo should please beware of their attitude as it has the potential to trigger Kumawuman into uncontrollable violence.

Rockson Adofo

(Written on Monday, 13 February 2017)