SEMPE STOOL & ANOR vs. COMFORT KWAWU (MRS) & ANOR [2010]DLCA6962

Date	2010-02-18
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/121/05
Citation No.	[2010]DLCA6962

KUSI-APPIAH J.A (PRESIDING)

IRISMAY BROWN J.A.

ADUAMA OSEI J.A.

COL. S M ASANTE FOR PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS

MR. SAMMY ADDO FOR DEFENDANTS AND CO-DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2010]DLCA6962
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SEMPE STOOL &amp; ANOR<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>COMFORT KWAWU (MRS) &amp; ANOR.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL
APPEAL NO. H1/121/05&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; DATE:
18TH FEBRUARY, 2010<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>COL.
S M ASANTE FOR PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS<o:p></o:p>MR.
SAMMY ADDO FOR DEFENDANTS AND CO-DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<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="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 2.25pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">CORAM:&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;<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 2.25pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"> KUSI-APPIAH
J.A (PRESIDING), IRISMAY BROWN J.A., ADUAMA OSEI J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;mso-border-between:1.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-padding-between:1.0pt">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ADUAMA
OSEI J.A:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In its judgment dated the 10th of September,
2003, the Circuit Court, Accra, dismissed an action instituted by the
Plaintiffs/Appellants, which included a claim for declaration of title to a
parcel of land at Kwashieman in Accra, and also entered judgment against the
Plaintiffs/Appellants in favour of the Co-Defendant/Respondent on a
counterclaim filed by the Co-Defendant/Respondent. The Plaintiffs/Appellants
were not satisfied with the judgment of the Circuit Court and brought the
present appeal against the same. <o:p></o:p>The
Writ of Summons by which the Plaintiffs/Appellants commenced their action was
filed on 12th March, 1998, and was indorsed for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“a) Declaration of title to all that piece or
parcel of land near, adjacent to, or under the Kwashieman Bridge and more
particularly described in the schedule to the attatched statement of claim.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“b) An order setting aside or nullifying the
sale of the land by the 2nd Defendant to the 1st Defendant on ground(s) that
the proper vendor if any to sell Sempe Stool Land should have been the Sempe
Stool occupied by the 1st Plaintiff and not 2nd Defendant. “c) Recovery of
possession of the land described in the schedule to the statement of claim.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“d) Damages for trespass to the said land.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“e) Perpetual injunnction restraining the 1st Defendant from continuing further
trespass on our development of the plot.”<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In the Statement of Claim accompanying the
Writ of Summons, the 1st Plaintiff/Appellant was described as Mantse of the
Sempe Division of the Ga State, while the 2nd Plaintiff/Appellant was described
as the Queenmother of Kwashieman, who “operates and works under the general
direction of the Sempe Stool as far as land policy affecting the development of
Kwashieman is concerned”. It was alleged in the Statement of Claim that
Kwashieman formed part and parcel of Sempe Stool and that the 1st
Plaintiff/Appellant was the person who by custom and law could properly make
grants affecting Sempe Stool Lands.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;According to the Plaintiffs/Appellants, the
subject matter of the Suit had been specifically set aside by the Sempe Stool
for use as a night market for Kwashieman residents and that in pursuance of the
said measure, some of the residents had entered upon the land and had, during
the 10 years preceding the commencement of the Suit, been using the same as a
market. The Plaintiffs/Appellants alleged in the Statement of Claim that the
2nd Defendant/Respondent was aware of the decision to develop the disputed land
into a night market but that, in spite of this, upon the death of the Chief of
Kwashieman, Nii Ahiaku IV, the 2nd Defendant/Respondent had purportedly sold
the land to the 1st Defendant/Respondent, who was threatening to eject the
traders from the land to enable her develop the same into a commercial
facility. It was alleged that, in the purported sale of the land to the 1st
Defendant/Respondent, the 2nd Defendant/Respondent colluded with one Isaac
Tetteh. It was contended that the 2nd Defendant/Respondent had no power or
authority to sell the land and that the action had been brought to prevent the
Defendants/Respondents from committing further acts of trespass upon the land.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In their Statement of Defence, the Defendants/Respondents
denied that the Plaintiffs/Appellants were the Mantse of Sempe and Queenmother
of Kwashieman respectively. They further denied that Kwashieman lands formed
part of Sempe Stool lands and contended that, contrary to what the Plaintiffs/Appellants
alleged, the grant of the subject matter of the Suit was made by the late Chief
of Kwashieman, Nii Lartey Kwashie Ahiaku. According to the
Defendants/Respondents, the 1st Defendant obtained a lease in respect of the
land in dispute in or about 1987 and subsequently, in 1993, she obtained a Land
Title Certificate in respect of the same. The Defendant</main>