AMPAABENG AND OTHERS vs. EDWEY IX AND OTHERS [1991]DLCA2062

Date	1991-07-19
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1991]DLCA2062

TAYLOR J.S.C.

ESSIEM J.A.

LUTTERODT J.

AHENKORAH FOR THE RESPONDENT.

NANA AMOTWER AMPAABENG IN PERSON.

[1991]DLCA2062
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">AMPAABENG AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">EDWEY IX AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1991] 1 GLR 169<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">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AHENKORAH FOR THE RESPONDENT.<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">

NANA AMOTWER AMPAABENG IN PERSON. <o:p></o:p>

TAYLOR J.S.C., ESSIEM J.A. AND LUTTERODT J. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF TAYLOR J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>In this case the plaintiffs, who were the regent and one of the
elders representing the stool and Oman of Gomoa Akyemfo, brought and action
against the first defendant, who is the chief, and ten other defendants who are
subjects of the first defendants’s stool of Gomoa Mumford. The action is in
reality a claim substantially by the stool of Gomoa Akyemfo against the stool
of Gomoa Mumford for a declaration of title. It involves an area of land lying
between the villages of Gomoa Akyemfo and Gomoa Mumford, the ownership of which
the first plaintiff’s stool and the first defendant’s stool both lay claim to.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiffs issued their writ on 23 July 1973 and it is amazing
that almost sixteen years after the writ, the High Court, Cape Coast has not as
yet disposed of the case. It seems to me that this inexplicable and unnecessary
protraction of the hearing and disposal of cases will erode the confidence of
the people in the ability of our courts to dispense justice in a fair and
expeditious manner. Surely the legislative and executive authorities cannot be
blamed when in the face of such nonchalant approach to adjudication by the
courts, they tend to give serious consideration to the establishment of other
judicial organs of the State in the hope that they will administer justice at
least without these inordinate delays which seem to characterise our brand of
justice in modern times in our courts. The much overworked statement: “Justice
delayed is justice denied,” is not an idle and meaningless expression as far as
litigants affected to the courts’ tardiness are concerned. In my opinion, it is
about time the judiciary by its rules of court formulates regulations that will
introduce some discipline into the judicial system and seriously tackle at
least inordinate delays which are so extraordinary and so pervasive as to be
clearly inexcusable and unjustifiable on any rational ground.<o:p></o:p>Be this as it may, the events that led to the issue of the writ
are that the ten other defendants who are subjects of the stool of Mumford,
whose occupant is the first defendant, commenced building operations on the
disputed land which was also being claimed by the stool of Gomoa Akyemfo.
Having regard to the principle of the customary law, it is clear that any
subject of a stool is entitled to the usufruct of any portion of stool land
which is not occupied by any other subject. He occupies it either with the
actual approval or the presumed consent of the stool of which he is the
subject: see Sarbah, Fanti Customary Laws (3rd ed.) at 272; Danquah, Cases in
Akan Law (1982 ed.) at XXX; Kwamina Bentsi-Enchill, Ghana Land Law at 87 and
Lokko v. Konklofi (1907) 1 Ren. 450 at 452.<o:p></o:p>In this case, as the Gomoa Akyemfo stool considered that the stool
of Gomoa Mumford and its ten subjects have trespassed on the said disputed
land, they claimed in their writ from the eleven defendants jointly and
severally:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(a).&nbsp; “a declaration of title to the
disputed land which they accordingly described; <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b).&nbsp; damages for trespass on the
said land;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(c).&nbsp; recovery of possession of all
areas trespassed upon; and <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(d).