REBECCA NARTEY (PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS) vs. ADU KOFI DJIN [2012]DLCA7478

Date	2012-02-16
Suit No.	APPEAL NO. H1/208/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA7478

F KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING)

MARIAMA OWUSU (MISS) J.A.

F.G. KORBIEH J.A

MR. EBENEZER ADDO MINGLE FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS

MR. ADU KOFI DJIN APPEARS FOR HIMSELF

[2012]DLCA7478
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >REBECCA NARTEY<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ADU KOFI DJIN<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>APPEAL
NO. H1/208/2011&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;DATED: 16TH FEBRUARY ,2012<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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MR.
EBENEZER ADDO MINGLE FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MR.
ADU KOFI DJIN APPEARS FOR HIMSELF<o:p></o:p>

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;
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border-bottom:1.5pt solid windowtext;mso-border-bottom-alt:1.5pt solid windowtext">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; &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;F KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING), MARIAMA OWUSU (MISS)
J.A., F.G. KORBIEH J.A<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-padding-between:1.0pt;padding-top:1.0pt;mso-padding-top-alt:0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;F.G. KORBIEH. J.A.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;On the 5/2/1997, the plaintiffs/appellants
(hereinafter referred to only as the appellants) issued a writ of summons in
the High Court, Accra claiming against the defendant/respondent (hereinafter
referred to only as the respondent) six reliefs which were tabulated as
follows:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;'1) Declaration of title to and recovery of
possession of all that piece of land at Osu bounded on the North-East by S.N.
Saka's land measuring 80 feet on the South-West by E.A. Mensah's land measuring
80 feet on the North-West by L.P.N.N. Yankah's land measuring 100 feet and on
the South-East by First Street measuring 100 feet be the same a little more or
less covering an area of nought decimal one eight (0.18) of an acre.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;2) General damages for trespass. <o:p></o:p>3)
Special damages. <o:p></o:p>4)
Perpetual injunction against the defendant his agents servants workmen and
assigns. <o:p></o:p>5)
An order setting aside and cancelling the Deed of Conveyance dated 5th June,
1993 registered at the Deeds Registry as 528/1994. <o:p></o:p>6)
An order setting aside any sale by the defendant.'<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The case of the appellants at the trial court
was that by a deed of conveyance dated 25/5/1938 the Mankralo of Osu and the
Djasetse (also of Osu) granted a parcel of Ashanti Blohum Quarter land
(described as above) at Kuku Hill, Osu to Jacob Samuel Nartey and that in 1953
the 1st appellant (who was the wife of Jacob Samuel Nartey) sold a portion of
the land to L.P.N.N. Yankah. They further averred that the land that is the
subject matter of the present suit was the residue of the land granted to Jacob
Samuel Nartey which had been retained by the 1st appellant and her children as
beneficial owners thereof; which was the land the respondent was claiming. In
his original statement of defence, the respondent denied most of the averments
contained in the appellants' statement of claim. He averred that the
transactions entered into between the 1st appellant and Yankah were null and
void and that he owned the land in dispute by virtue of the fact that he had
purchased the land from Juliana Norkor Sabah (representing the family of
Theodora Tsotso Botchway, Bejina Botchway and Barnor Odonkor). He described the
boundaries of his land as follows: 'bounded on the North East by a proposed
Road ...measuring 80 feet more or less on the South-West by Defendant's land
measuring 80 feet on the North West by Yankah's land measuring 80 feet and on
the South East by a Road measuring 80 feet ... 'He also averred that the land
had originally been Osu stool land and formed part of a larger tract of land
granted in 1939 by the Osu Stool (acting in consultation with Jonas George
Coleman, Acting Osu Mankralo) to Theodora Tsotso Botchway, Bejina Botchway,
Barnor Odonkor and Christopher Amarlar Odonkor. He again averred that the land
was an open space used as a car park by the public and was always separate from
Yankah's land and further that in 1997 when he learned for the first time that
the appellants were claiming his land, he promptly asserted his ownership of
the land. At the close of this first round of pleadings, some of the issues set
down for trial were the following:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(a) Whether the land in dispute formed part of
Osu Stool land or Osu Ashanti Blohum Quarter land.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(b) Whether or not Jacob Samuel Nartey was
ever in possession of the land in dispute and planted any trees on it.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(c) Whether or not the deed of gift dated
29/10/59 made between Nii Noi Dowuona IV of the one part and Theodora Tsotso
Botchway, Bejina Botchway, Barnor Odonkor and Christopher Amarlar Odonkor of
the other part and also the deed of conveyance dated 5/6/93 between Juliana
Norkor Sabah and the respondent had legal effect. <o:p></o:p>