OFEI KWAKU MANTE (SUBSTITUTED BY REV. ALEXANDER ARYEEQUAYE) vs. MIKE SIMILAO, S. K. BOTCHWAY AND KORTEI BOTCHWAY NII ARYEE ANNANG [2015]DLCA8049

OFEI KWAKU MANTE (SUBSTITUTED BY REV. ALEXANDER ARYEEQUAYE) vs. MIKE SIMILAO, S.... [2015]DLCA8049

Date	2015-04-16
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: H1/218/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA8049

MARFUL-SAU J.A. (PRESIDING)

ACQUAYE J.A.

TORKORNOO(MRS) J.A.

MR. J. AYIKOI OTOO FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

MR. S. R. BREMPONG FOR THE DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS

[2015]DLCA8049
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >OFEI KWAKU MANTE (SUBSTITUTED
BY REV. ALEXANDER ARYEEQUAYE)<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p>MIKE SIMILAO, S. K. BOTCHWAY
AND KORTEI BOTCHWAY<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>NII ARYEE ANNANG<o:p></o:p>(CO-DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

SUIT
NO.:&nbsp; H1/218/2015&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 16TH
APRIL, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. J. AYIKOI OTOO FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MR. S. R. BREMPONG FOR
THE DEFENDANTS/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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MARFUL-SAU J.A.
(PRESIDING), ACQUAYE J.A., TORKORNOO(MRS) J.A.<o:p></o:p>

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

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

</div>ACQUAYE,
J. A.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff, as head of Nii Kofi Appenteng
family claimed a declaration of title to 416.88 acres of land situate between
Ofankor and Kwabenya villages in Accra.&nbsp;
He claimed the land was given to his ancestors by the elders of Pokuase
in 1634 which they named Ambuanda and they have settled thereon since.&nbsp; It is the plaintiff’s case that his family
made a statutory declaration of the said land on 17th September 1990
which was registered as No.969/1993 and that they have granted parts of the
land to a number of people for farming and building.&nbsp; According to the plaintiff the defendants
have recently entered the land and would not vacate hence the writ of summons.<o:p></o:p>The 1st defendant denied the
claims of the plaintiff and said that he had for a long time been in possession
of the land as a grantee of the Odai Ntow Family and that his grantors made a
statutory declaration which they registered as No. 2551/77.&nbsp; The 1st defendant stated that his
grantors were never invited to attend the demarcation of the boundary between
the two families and that he built a two bedroom house on the land and another
3 bedroom house up to lintel level in 1988.&nbsp;
The 1st defendant testified that he obtained judgment in the
Circuit Court in Suit No. 388/94 entitled Mike Similao vrs Paulina Darko, the
defendant being a grantee of the instant plaintiff’s family in whose favour the
plaintiff testified.&nbsp; According to the 1st
defendant the plaintiffs Kofi Appenteng Family first sold the land to him but
he could not register it at the Lands Commission so he went and acquired the
same land from the Odai Ntow Family.&nbsp;
When the Co-defendant was joined to the suit he stated in his defence
that his Odai Ntow Family have for a long time been the owner in possession of
the Abuanda lands and they have successfully litigated over the land twice in
1904 and 1980.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>After a surveyor appointed by the Court to
draw a composite plan of the land claimed by the parties had tendered those
plans and testified, the court set down for preliminary hearing the issue of
estoppel per rem judicatem raised by the defendants.&nbsp; After hearing the parties the trial judge
held that the judgment in the case CC 388/95 entitled Mike Similao vrs Paulina
Darko effectively determined the issues raised in the pleadings in favour of
the 1st defendant and the plaintiff was thus estopped per rem
judicatem from relitigating the same issues.&nbsp;
The trial judge held that the 1st defendant being the
judgment creditor in the Circuit Court is entitled to judgment on his
counterclaims and decreed in his favour.<o:p></o:p>Not satisfied with the judgment the plaintiff
filed a notice of appeal setting out five grounds of appeal. The grounds are:-<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The learned judge erred in
holding that the judgment in Circuit Court Suit No. CC 388/95 date</main>