Information reaching Today indicates that operatives of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) led by one Stephen Coffie on Saturday, December 6, 2014 stormed the family house of the legitimate kingmaker (Gyase Tse) of the Ga Paramount Royal Stool in Accra, Nii Tetteh Kwei II, to effect his arrest.
According to deep throat sources close to the Swalaba Family House of the Gyase Tse near Hearts of Oath House at Ga Mashie in Accra, the search for Nii Tetteh Kwei II, who doubles as the acting Ga Mantse, by the operatives of BNI was in connection with a publication by Today newspaper on its front page on Thursday, December 4, 2014 with the headline “TENSION LOOMS IN GA STATE."
Today's sources revealed that the search for Nii Tetteh Kwei II by the BNI made the family members of the Swalaba family house and Ga Gyase Tse Council to question the credibility of the nation's security apparatus.
In an exclusive interview with this reporter, the acting Head of Nii Amugi Royal House, Nii Amui DeGraft Quaye, on behalf of the family members of Nii Tetteh Kwei II and the Ga Gyase Council, described the move by the BNI as "complete lawlessness" stressing that they are disappointed in the state agency [BNI] to defend Nii Tackie Adama Latse II who was parading himself as a Chief of the Ga Paramount Stool.
The obviously angry family members of Nii Tetteh Kwei II and Ga Gyase Council stated that considering the uncustomary decision taken by some self-acclaimed kingmakers led by one Yaote Oto Ga II to enstool Nii Adama Latse II on Friday, June 10, 2014 to ascend the throne of Ga stool, BNI was supposed to be the last security apparatus to intimidate the rightful person of the Ga State who spoke against the purported installation of Nii Adama Latse.
Flanked by some Elders of Nii Amugi Royal Ruling House, in the persons of Nii Amui Quaye, Seth Amartey Tetteh-Quaye and Mr. Jo K.D.D Benne, Nii DeGraft Quaye asked all the legitimate kingmakers of the Ga Paramount Royal Stool to resist all forms of intimidation from the BNI which impede the progress of their duties in the Ga State.
He pointed out that the legitimate kingmakers who are the strong voice of the Ga State have a vital role to play in the Ga State’s chieftaincy dispensation, saying that the BNI’s move to hunt for Nii Tetteh Kwei II for granting an interview with Today over the installation of Nii Adama Latse was an "unfortunate return to the era of a culture of silence."
The kingmakers (Ga Gyase Council) therefore, described the installation of Nii Adama Latse as contempt of court, explaining that the Ga Mantse Stool is "currently vacant."
According to them, Nii Adama Latse who was holding himself out there that he had been installed as the new Ga Mantse did not hail from the Abola Piam We, as was being claimed by the self-acclaimed kingmakers.
They explained further that the entire indigenes of Teiko Tsuru We were descendants of matrilineal lineage because Nuumo Teiko had three daughters, without a son, and King Tackie Tawiah III, the late Ga Mantse, was a grandson of the daughter, adding that the assertion that only the patrimonial lineage could access the Ga Stool was not true.
According to the Ga Gyase Council, about 70 per cent of the past Ga Kings (Ga Mantsemei) were of matrilineal lineage.
They further stated that Nii Tackie Adama Latse did not hail from Abola Piam We as his great grandfather was adopted into the Teiko Tsuru We and therefore had no legitimacy anywhere near the Ga Paramount Stool.
The Ga Dzaase Council recounted that King Tackie Tawiah, known in private life as Dr. Joe Blankson, was enstooled as Ga Mantse on June 13, 2006 through the initiative of Nii Akropong III, the Head of the Teiko Tsuru Royal House and a Senior Principal elder of the Ga Gyase Council to succeed the late Nii Amugi II.
The late Nai Wulomo, Numo Tete III, the Spiritual Head of the Ga State, according to them, presided over that installation of King Tackie Tawiah. They went on to describe the enstoolment of Nii Adama Latse as a “sacrilege and an insult to the Ga throne and State,” stressing that Adama Latse’s parents were nowhere near the Ga Royal Paramount Stool.
