AGBOSU AND OTHERS vs. KOTEY AND OTHERS [2004]DLSC965

Date	2004-05-05
Suit No.	-
Citation No.	[2004]DLSC965

KPEGAH JSC

WOOD JSC

BROBBEY JSC

TWUM JSC

DATE-BAH JSC

IVAN QUANSAH FOR THE FIRST TO FIFTH APPELLANTS

D O LAMPTEY FOR THE SIXTH APPELLANT

G O LINDSAY FOR THE FIRST RESPONDENT

[2004]DLSC965
																																						<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" ><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">AGBOSU 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">KOTEY AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[2003-2005] 1 GLR 685<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>IVAN QUANSAH FOR THE FIRST TO FIFTH APPELLANTS<o:p></o:p>D O LAMPTEY FOR THE SIXTH APPELLANT<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">

G O LINDSAY FOR THE FIRST RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

KPEGAH, WOOD, BROBBEY, TWUM AND DATE-BAH JJSC<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>Wood JSC <o:p></o:p>Delivered the first judgment at the invitation of Kpegah JSC. In
1976 the first respondent-family purportedly, by means of a statutory
declaration, registered in the name of the family a vast tract of land commonly
known as Ashalley Botwe lands. Sixteen years later, attempts by the first to
fifth appellants on the one hand, and the sixth appellant on the other hand
(hereinafter referred to as the plaintiffs), by means of the same process, to
register portions of those lands as belonging to their respective families, ie
Agbosu Freeman and Nmai Dzorn, proved futile in view of the protests raised by
the first respondent (hereinafter referred to as the first defendant).<o:p></o:p>Clearly dissatisfied with this turn of events, the plaintiffs
instituted proceedings in the High Court in their respective capacities as the
head and principal elders of their families, inter alia, for the following
reliefs:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(a) that the first, second, third, fourth and.fifth plaintiffs
are the owners in possession of all that piece and parcel of land described in
their statement of claim and in the attached schedule marked A; <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b) an order of declaration of title in the sixth plaintiff family
of all that piece or parcel of land containing an approximate area of 1.793.231
acres situate at Nmai Dzorn...; <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(c) in the alternative, cancellation or expunging from the records
of the Lands Commission Secretariat, a statutory declaration of 4 May 1976,
stamped as AC 435/76...; and <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(d) injunction restraining the defendants themselves, and persons
deriving title from any one of them from interfering with the plaintiffs’ right
of ownership and enjoyment of the land.”<o:p></o:p>Aside from granting the principal relief sought, the trial judge
additionally ordered the second respondent (hereinafter referred to as the
second defendant), who is the head of the Ashalley Botwe stool family, “to take
steps to annul all documents which derive their title from the registered
document 671/77 and for the holders to surrender their documents for
cancellation.” The first and second defendants, however, successfully appealed
to the Court of Appeal against this decision. It is against this decision that
this appeal has been lodged on a number of grounds which I propose to deal with
in the same order that they were argued.<o:p></o:p>Issues of lack
of capacity of the plaintiffs to bring action<o:p></o:p>Ground (c) of the plaintiffs’ grounds of appeal reads:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">