ADWOA SERWAAH vs. AKOSUAH AGYEDABI AND ANOTHER [2010]DLCA3166

Date	2010-01-29
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/10/2009
Citation No.	[2010]DLCA3166

MARIAMA OWUSU (MISS.) J.A. (PRESIDING)

F.G. KORBIEH J.A.

IRENE C. DANQUAH (MS.) J.A.

[2010]DLCA3166
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ADWOA SERWAAH<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>AKOSUAH AGYEDABI AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>CIVIL
APPEAL NO. H1/10/2009&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;29TH
JANUARY, 2010.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none;
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</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>MARIAMA OWUSU (MISS.) J.A.
(PRESIDING), F.G. KORBIEH J.A., IRENE C. DANQUAH (MS.) J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>MARIAMA
OWUSU J.A.:<o:p></o:p>This is a boundary dispute.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff at the District Court,
Manso Nkwanta, issued this writ of summons against the defendant for the
following Reliefs; <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Declaration of title, ownership
 and possession of a farm land situate and lying at a place commonly known
 and called Agyaakwaaho, on Abore Stool land and having boundaries with the
 properties of the late Kwame Manu,[defendant’s uncle] Kwabena Mensah and
 Ama Mansah [defendant’s mother] and defendant has trespasses unto during
 this year’s farming season.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">Perpetual Injunction
 restraining defendant, her agents, servants and relatives from the said
 land.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On the 28-4-04, one Ama Mansah,
applied and was joined to this suit as co-defendant.<o:p></o:p>At the trial the plaintiff testified
and called two witnesses.&nbsp; Defendants also
testified through the co-defendant and called one witness.<o:p></o:p>At the end of the trial, the
plaintiff’s claim was dismissed as not proved and ¢2m cost awarded in the favor
of the defendant and co-defendant.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Dissatisfied with the decision of
the District Court, the plaintiff appealed to the High Court on the ground
that;<o:p></o:p>[i] &nbsp;&nbsp;The judgment is against the weight of
evidence<o:p></o:p>[ii] The trial magistrate failed to
properly evaluate the evidence of the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On the 10-7-07, the High Court, Kumasi,
upheld the appeal of the plaintiff and reversed the judgment of the trial
court, by entering judgment for the plaintiff as the owner of the disputed
land.&nbsp; The defendants were restrained
from entering the land and or interfering with the plaintiff’s ownership of same.&nbsp; Cost of&nbsp;
¢10m was assessed.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The defendants the appealed to this
court on the following grounds;<o:p></o:p>[a]&nbsp;&nbsp;
The judgment is against the weight of evidence.<o:p></o:p>[b]&nbsp;&nbsp;
The High Court judge failed to evaluate the evidence adduced during the
trial.<o:p></o:p>[c]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The High Court judge failed to refer to the
statement of case filed.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In this appeal, the
plaintiff/appellant/respondent would be referred to simply as plaintiff and the
defendants/respondents/appellants as defendants.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In his written submission filed, counsel
for the defendants argued all the three (3) grounds of appeal together and
submitted that, DW1, and elderly woman in her evidence said plaintiff did not
know the boundaries of Tutu’s land and that the issue is Kwame&nbsp; Manu’s land which plaintiff has
cultivated&nbsp; as her own.&nbsp; Counsel continued that form the Record of
Appeal, it is clear the co-defendant has personal knowledge of the land, its
history and circumstance more then the plaintiff.&nbsp; Counsel further argued that, since the actual
owners of the land in controversy are Kwame Manu and Kwaku Tutu, by Akan custom
and usage, since the original owners were brothers, their offspring can farm on
the land with food crops, without challenge. But where any of the descendants
want specific judicial declaration of title and ownership, mere possessory
rights may not be sufficient and cannot grant title to the exclusion of all
others.&nbsp; Counsel continued that, since
plaintiff never gave evidence of having obtained the land through payment of
monetary consideration or through a gift inter vivos or through a bequest in a
will, but rather farming on a large extended family land, she cannot be granted
a declaration of it to the exclusion of all others.&nbsp; Consequently, counsel concluded, the High
Court judge misdirected himself and erred in his appreciation of the issues. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In answer to these submissions,
counsel for the plaintiff submitted that, under cross examination, the
co-defendant admitted the land in dispute was the very land the pl</main>