MAAKYE KORKOR AKUNSAH vs. NAI ASHALLEY BOTCHWAY AND JEI RIVER FARM LIMITED [2010]DLSC2579

Date	2010-05-19
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/22/2009
Citation No.	[2010]DLSC2579

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING)

DATE-BAH (DR) JSC

YEBOAH JSC

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

ARYEETEY JSC

GEORGE AGBEKO JAN CHAMBERS FOR THE PLAINTIFF /APPELLANT /APPELLANT.

MAXWELL KOFI AMOAKOHENE FOR THE DEFENDANTS/ RESPONDENTS /RESPONDENTS.

[2010]DLSC2579
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MAAKYE KORKOR AKUNSAH<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NAI ASHALLEY BOTCHWAY
AND JEI RIVER FARM LIMITED<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<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">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/22/2009&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:
19TH MAY, 2010<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>GEORGE AGBEKO, JAN
CHAMBERS FOR THE PLAINTIFF /APPELLANT /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">

MAXWELL
KOFI AMOAKOHENE FOR THE DEFENDANTS/ RESPONDENTS /RESPONDENTS.<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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING), DATE-BAH (DR) JSC, YEBOAH
JSC, BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC , ARYEETEY JSC<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>ARYEETEY, JSC:-<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff/appellant/appellant whom we shall refer
to as the plaintiff in this appeal is the biological mother of the 1st
defendant/respondent/respondent whom, together with the 2nd
defendant/respondent/respondent, we shall refer to as defendants. This matter
first went to court when the 1st defendant, as chief of Ofaadaa,
sold a piece of Ofadaa stool land to the 2nd defendant for its
farming enterprise, which was followed by a claim of ownership by the plaintiff.
She based her claim of ownership of the 212 acres of stool land on a gift to
her in 1947 by the reigning chief of Awutu Ofaadaa after which she performed
the necessary rites of Akan custom in thanking the chief for the gift. By the
year 2000 she, her children and tenant farmers had cultivated approximately 212
acres of the land by shifting cultivation as reflected in a site plan which she
tendered in evidence. Even though by the year 2000 she had acquired a customary
freehold interest in the land, the 1st defendant made a grant of a
lease of her land to the 2nd defendant company for commercial
farming purposes in September 2000 without her consent or concurrence in any
form. Being completely dissatisfied with the trend of events, on 5th
February 2001 she caused a writ to be issued against the defendants claiming
some reliefs, including damages for trespass and perpetual injunction. Following
the death of her counsel the action was discontinued. After exchange of letters
between the parties the 2nd defendant company commenced its
commercial farming activities on the land which resulted in the total
destruction of cassava, corn, oil palm trees and other crops under cultivation
without compensation to the plaintiff, her children and tenant farmers. Therefore
on 10th April 2002 the plaintiff caused to be issued a writ of
summons claiming the following reliefs against both defendants: <o:p></o:p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;
A declaration of title in
respect of all that piece and parcel of land situate at Awutu Ofaadaa in the
Central&nbsp; Region as per the site plan
attached containing an area of approximate of 212.06 acres and &nbsp;or<o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;
A declaration that the
plaintiff is the customary freehold owner of all that piece and parcel of land
containing an approximate area of 212.06 acres as per the site plan attached.<o:p></o:p>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Damages for trespass. <o:p></o:p>(d)&nbsp; An order for the recovery of possession of all that
area of land containing an approximate area of 212.06 acres as per the site
plan attached.<o:p></o:p>(e)