THOMPSON vs. THOMPSON [1980]DLHC1636

Date	1980-06-30
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1980]DLHC1636

AGYEPONG J.

QUAO FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

R. T. QUANSAH FOR THE DEFENDANT.

[1980]DLHC1636
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THOMPSON <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; vs.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>THOMPSON<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[1980] GLR 537<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DATE:
30 JUNE 1980<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

QUAO FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

AGYEPONG J.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF AGYEPONG J.<o:p></o:p>In this
suit, the claim of the plaintiff against the defendant is for:<o:p></o:p>“(a) a
declaration that he, the plaintiff, and other children of S. A. Thompson
(deceased) are the beneficial owners of house No. D.725/4, Accra, and other
properties of the deceased;<o:p></o:p>(b) an
account of all rents collected from the said house from April 1962; (c) an
order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his servants or agents
from collecting rents in respect of the premises or otherwise dealing with the
said house; and (d) an order that the defendant shall surrender to the plaintiff
all title deeds and other documents relating to any property of the deceased
now in the possession of the defendant.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts
of this case are simple and free from complexity: Both the plaintiff and the
defendant are Yorubas from Nigeria resident in Ghana. The plaintiff’s father,
S. A. Thompson (deceased), was also a Yoruba resident in Ghana, and died a
Yoruba, intestate, in Ghana, on 16 May 1960, leaving landed properties in
Accra, namely, house No. C.133/1, Adabraka, Accra; house No. 109/1, Adabraka,
Accra; house No. D.725/4, Tudu, Accra and a plot of land at Brewery Road,
Accra, as well as money in his banking accounts at Standard Bank (Ghana) Ltd.,
Tudu Branch, Accra and Barclays Bank, High Street, Accra. He also left some
estate in Nigeria.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The defendant
is the son of E. B. Thompson, Snr. (deceased), also a Yoruba resident in Ghana,
who died a Yoruba, intestate, in Ghana, in 1912. The said S. A. Thompson and E.
B. Thompson, Snr. were the sons of two brothers.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On the
death of S. A. Thompson in 1960, the plaintiff, one J. D. Thompson, Victoria W.
Martins and the defendant were appointed joint administrators of the deceased’s
estate on 11 November 1960. A certified true copy of the letters of
administration was tendered in evidence by the plaintiff herein as exhibit A.<o:p></o:p>The
plaintiff herein in this action claims that by Yoruba customary law, he and his
brothers and sisters are entitled to inherit the whole of the estate of their
deceased father. His counsel contended relying on Youhana v. Abboud [1974] 2
G.L.R. 201, C.A. that the personal law of the deceased should govern the
succession to the deceased’s landed and other properties situate in Ghana and
that the personal law was the Yoruba customary law of succession. That
customary law of succession was that when a Yoruba dies intestate, his children
alone inherit the deceased’s estate. It is only at the discretion of the
deceased’s children that they can give a portion of the deceased’s estate to
members of the deceased’s family on the father’s side. He tendered in evidence
a judgment of the High Court, Lagos, dated 24 May 1965, exhibit B. in support
of his contention.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>