[1963]DLSC11114 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0"><b>FRIMPONG<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0"><b>vs.<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0"><b>POKU</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;tab-stops:159.3pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[SUPREME<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[1963]<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>2<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>GLR<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>1 DATE:3RD<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt"> </span>JUNE,<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>1963<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><h1 style="margin-left:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></h1><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; line-height: 151%; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:151%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">G. KORANTENG-ADDOW FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<span style="letter-spacing:-2.6pt"> </span>BUACHI<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>FOR THE DEFENDANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; line-height: 151%;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:151%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CORAM:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:151%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">OLLENNU JSC,<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>BLAY JSC, AKUFO-ADDO<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>JSC.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><h1 style="margin-left:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">JUDGMENT<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>OF<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>AKUFO-ADDO<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>J.S.C.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:6.5pt;margin-right:5.8pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:5.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:103%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:103%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">This appeal by the plaintiff is from the judgment of Bruce-Lyle J. sitting in the High Court, Sunyani, on<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>appeal from the Brong-Ahafo Local Court, Goaso. The plaintiff’s claim was for the possession of a piece<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>of forest land which, he alleged, he purchased from the Sankori stool, and on which the defendant had<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>trespassed. The defendant who is not a native of Sankori by birth went to live at Sankori some years ago,<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>and was granted permission by the Sankori stool to farm on Sankori stool land. According to the evidence<span style="letter-spacing:-2.6pt"> </span>he was permitted to cultivate just enough land to be covered by two farming operations in two farming<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>season (“do pen mmienu” as it is called in Twi). Some time later it was discovered that in addition to the<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>cultivation made and covering two seasonal operations the defendant had extended his farming activities<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>somewhat spasmodically over a wider area by planting cocoa and other crops which were dotted here and<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>there over the wider area without any semblance of systematic cultivation, no doubt, with the object of<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>claiming possessory rights over that area. When this state of affairs was discovered by the Odikro of<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>Sankori, the defendant was immediately made aware of his wrongful activities and, upon apologising for<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>his misdeeds, he was requested by the elders of the stool to pay the sum of £G300 as a consideration for<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>retaining the area over which he had offended<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>if he desired to retain it. This sum was at the request of the defendant reduced to £G200 but the defendant expressed his<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>inability to pay and was therefore warned off the area of land concerned. Subsequently the stool of<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>Sankori<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>sold<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>said<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>area<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>land<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>plaintiff,<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>before<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>then<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>defendant<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>become<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>naturalisation according to customary law a “citizen” of Sankori. The plaintiff entered upon the land upon<span style="letter-spacing:-2.6pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>completion<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt"> </span>purchase<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>few<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>weeks<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>later<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>saw<span style="letter-spacing:.85pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.85pt"> </span>defendant<span style="letter-spacing:.9pt"> </span>working<span style="letter-spacing:.85pt"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing:.85pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.85pt"> </span>land,<span style="letter-spacing:.85pt"> </span>hence<span style="letter-spacing:-2.65pt"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>action.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:6.3pt;margin-right:5.8pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:5.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:103%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:103%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The plaintiff’s allegation of the purchase from the Sankori stool was confirmed by the Odikro of Sankori<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>who gave an account of the incidents which culminated in the offer made by the elders of Sankori to the<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>defendant<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:.65pt"> </span>pay<span style="letter-spacing:.75pt"> </span>£G300<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>retain<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>area<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>over<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>which<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>unlawfully<span style="letter-spacing:.7pt"> </span>spread<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>farming<span style="letter-spacing:.6pt"> </span>operations<span style="letter-spacing:-2.65pt"> </span>as already described. The Odikro stated in his evidence that as the defendant could not, or would not, pay<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>the sum required the defendant, in the recorded words of the Odikro, “waived his interest in the area in<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>dispute.” The Odikro then said that the land was subsequently sold to the plaintiff, and that some time<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>after the sale to the plaintiff the defendant turned up to say that he was now prepared to pay the sum<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>required<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>in order to keep<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>the land. He<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>told it was too<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>late as the land<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>had been sold.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:103%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:103%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The defendant did not either by cross-examination or in his evidence dispute the account given by the<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>Odikro of the incidents that led to the sale of the land to the plaintiff. His case was that the land in dispute<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>was part of the land which was originally granted him by the Sankori stool, and this claim was denied by<span style="letter-spacing:.05pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>Odikro.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:6.15pt;margin-right:5.85pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:5.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:103%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:103%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The l