In 2019, some aggrieved youth and people of Ada-Foah vented their anger by demonstrating
• Isaac Sappor, a spokesperson for one of the feuding sides in a chieftaincy matter at Ada Foah, has refuted claims that he masterminded a near-bloodshed incident
• Ada Foah has been without a chief since 2019 when the former chief, Nene Tawiah Nanor Kokotey Tetteyga IV, died
• Isaac Sappor explained all the circumstances that led to his arrest and how no military man assaulted him
There have been reports of alleged attempts by one side in a chieftaincy issue between two royal gates in Ada Foah, to stir up chaos in the area.
A report by environmentalguideonline.com said that some thugs from the Dugbartey family (one of two gates who rotate chieftaincy in the area) had confronted members of the other gate, the Dadah family.
The report by environmentalguideonline.com had stated that it took the intention of the Naval patrol team in the area to quell a supposed bloodshed.
Reacting to this however, spokesperson for the Chief of Ada Foah, Nene Tettey-Ga Dugbartey Tettey-Ga IV, who heads the Dugbartey family debunked the said rumours.
But Isaac Sappor, explained that following the death of the former chief of Ada Foah, Nene Tawiah Nanor Kokotey Tetteyga IV, in 2019, it was the hope of the Dugbartey family that they would be the family to be enstooled as chiefs.
Rather surprisingly, he said, the family of the former chief, Nene Nanor, instead selected someone from a totally different family that is never in the line of succession, to be chief and enstooled him.
“We have been battling this issue since 2019 when the former chief, Nene Kokotey died and everybody in Ada Foah knows that it was the turn of the Dugbatey family to enstool but sections of the late chief’s family – that’s the Nanor family, just selected somebody from an entirely different gate, who don’t become chiefs of Ada Foah and they enstooled him,” he said.
He continued that with the Dugbartey’s refusing to allow this to go without a fight, they sent the matter to the Regional House of Chiefs where a ruling was given in their favour but that did not end the back and forth.
He added that the Dugbarteys also served a notice of appeal which meant that there was a stay of execution and as such, Ada Foah should currently be without a chief.
“We petitioned the traditional council and a panel was instituted and then after close to about 6 months the judgement came and the Dugbartey family was given judgement and then the other side went to the Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa and even put in their notice of appeal out of time but the panel over there accepted it.
“Then somewhere in June, the judgement from the Regional House of Chiefs was given so they set aside the decision by the Ada Traditional Council that gave Dugbarteys the ruling. They gave everything to the Dadahs. Two days after, the Dugbarteys served them with a notice of appeal and per these traditional issues, a notice of appeal is a stay of execution but from 10th June this year, the Dadahs have made series of announcements that they are the chiefs of Ada when the case is still pending at the National House of Chiefs,” he explained.
Isaac Sappor continued that only a week ago, he followed up to a location where he had heard that there was a press conference going on, organized by the Dadahs, and informed one of the journalists he met there of the matter before the National House of Chiefs.
“A week ago today, they were holding a press conference and then some of us met a group of media people so I enquired from them that are they part of the people who are doing the press conference for them? And he said yes so, I told the guy that what they are doing, since the case is still pending in court, you could be cited for contempt so don’t do it.
“Apparently, they were even doing the press conference in a room and these were just some staff outside. The guy told me that fine, since they are here to do their work, they have to do so, so they are paid,” he said.
He explained that a short while after that, they were chased down by a military vehicle, from which they noticed the journalist they had shortly spoken with, leading them to pick himself and two others up.
He described how they were picked up and later sent to a police station at Big Ada.
“Minutes later, we saw a military car, which we know has been coming around, went through the same area that we went and later turned, came out of the vehicle and they were led by this same media guy that I’d spoken with, who is Blay, they pointed their gun and people running helter-skelter but I have not offended or done anything so we stood.
“They came, they picked us up. They pointed the gun at us and then they bundled us into the military vehicle and the community became furious. They then took us to the Ada Foah police station and the commander who came was also furious and told them to take us away as the community had gathered at the police station. They were alarmed that if they kept us there, there could be problems so they took us away.
“On the way – and we didn’t know where we were going and then I asked the military officer and he told me that he was somewhere when he got a call from the District Chief Executive to come and pick certain people up. What the military guy said was that they said we were wielding arms meanwhile I have never even touched a gun before,” he said.
Isaac Sappor told GhanaWeb that although the military men who picked them up harmed them in no way, they never got to know who the complainant was in the case, even after they slept in the police cell for a day before they were released on bail.
“On our way, he started calming us and so ended up at the Big Ada police station and then they handed us over to the police and they left. We were moved into the cells after about an hour and I kept insisting that I wanted to know who our complainants were and what our offense was but they didn’t tell us anything. They granted us bail the following day but I must state that the military men did not assault us in any way,” he explained.
As it stands now, the case is before a court and is expected to be called again on September 1, 2021.
