[2015]DLCA4422 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">ADONKWANTA STOOL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" align="center" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""> (</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">1<sup>ST</sup> <i>CLAIMANT/APPELLANT</i></span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:117.4pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">MOTODUA STOOL</span></b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">(</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">2<sup>ND</sup> CLAIMANT/APPELLANT</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; color:#00B0F0">AND<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">KEANAE STOOL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(3<sup>RD</sup> CLAIMANT/RESPONDENT)</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CIVIL SUIT NO: H1/71/2014</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> 21<sup>TH</sup> NOVEMBER, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. J. H. SENOO FOR 2<sup>ND</sup> CLAIMANT/APPELLANT<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">EDORA B. DUODO WITH BASITA A. TAWIAH FOR THE 3<sup>RD</sup> CLAIMANT/RESPONDENT<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">M.OWUSU (J.A.) – PRESIDING, DORDZIE (J.A.), GYAN (J.A.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MARIAMA OWUSU, J.A.:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The test for traditional history was laid down by the Privy Council in the case of <b>ADJEIBI-KOJO v. BONSIE 3 [WALR] 257 </b>when<b> </b>the Court held as follows;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">“The most satisfactory method of testing traditional history is by examining it in the light of such more recent facts as can be established by evidence in order to establish which of the conflicting statements of tradition is more probably correct. Where there is a conflict of traditional history one side or the other must be mistaken, yet both may be honest in their beliefs, for honest mistakes may occur in the course of transmission of the traditions down the generations. In such circumstances, and particularly where Native Courts below have differed, an Appeal Court must review the evidence and draw their own inferences from the established facts: the demeanor of witnesses before the trial court is little guide to the truth”. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">This case was cited with approval by our Supreme Court in the case of <b>AGO SAI & Others v. KPOBI TETTEH TSURU 111 [2010] SCGLR 762, 764 </b>where their Lordships held in holding [1] as follows;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">“It was well-settled that where in a land suit, the evidence as to the title to the disputed land was traditional and conflicting [as in the instant case], the surest guide was to test such evidence in the light of recent acts to see which was preferable”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The appeal in this case involves the traditional history of the parties in this suit. Initially, the Adonkwanta Stool, the 1<sup>st</sup> claimant sued Motodua Stool at the trial High Court, Ho sometime in 1986. After pleadings in the case had closed, the trial High judge by an order of the Court, transferred the matter to the then Stool Lands Boundaries Commission, Accra, for adjudication as the issues in his view related to the boundaries of the two stools. The parties therefore appeared before the Stool Lands Boundaries Settlement Commission. Before the Commission, Benkumhene of Krachi applied and was joined to the suit as 3<sup>rd</sup> claimant. The parties in this suit therefore are; Adonkwanta Stool as 1<sup>st</sup> claimant, Motodua Stool as 2<sup>nd</sup> claimant and the Benkumhene of Krachi who occupied the Keanae Stool as the 3<sup>rd</sup> claimant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Before dealing with the arguments advanced in support of this appeal, I would give a brief background of the case. The 1<sup>st</sup> claimant by its amended statement of claim averred that, it is the owner in possession of all that land known as Ahenkro lands. It averred further that, the land is bounded on one side by the Oti river, on the other side by the Volta River, on another side by Krachi Stool land [known as Agyamahene’s land] and on another side by Agyamasu. The 1<sup>st</sup> claimant conti