EMMANUEL KWEI ADJEI, NII KORKORBI NII ANUM vs. AGYA APPIAH [2016]DLHC17228

Date	2016-07-08
Suit No.	SUIT NO. FAL 713/2012
Citation No.	[2016]DLHC17228

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JEROME NOBLE-NKRUMAH

JOSEPH NICHOLAS NKRUMAH ESQ

NII AKWEI BRUCE THOMPSON ESQ

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2016]DLHC17228</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;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">EMMANUEL KWEI ADJEI, NII KORKORBI NII ANUM</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:211.5pt center 243.0pt;
text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;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></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:center 243.0pt left 295.5pt;
text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;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">AGYA APPIAH</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">[HIGH
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:168.75pt 278.15pt;text-autospace:
none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;</span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:96.25pt right 481.5pt;
text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">COUNSEL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:106.5pt;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">CORAM&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JEROME
NOBLE-NKRUMAH <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">On
the 16/5/16 the defendant applicant herein filed the instant motion on notice
for the joinder of Nii Amanor Ankrah, head of the Pedro Nii kpakpo Oti family
otherwise known as the Nii kpakpo Oti family of Dadeban Naa Otublohum as 2<sup>nd</sup>
defendant and the head of the Korkor Addy family as 3<sup>rd</sup> plaintiff.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The
defendant makes his claim to the land in dispute, as per his statement of
defence, via a deed of assignment dated 4/8/02 between him and Dr Daniel Gyebi,
a grantee of the Pedro Nii Kpakpo Oti family. By said assignment the defendant
was assigned his assignors unexpired term of a lease granted the assignor. By
this the defendant applicant has as it were jumped over his assignor to come
into a direct relationship with the assignor’s lessor. It is this lessor defendant
applicant seeks to join as 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Clearly
from the pleadings it is family land in dispute here. The general principle of
law is that an action concerning family property such as land must be
instituted on behalf of or as representing the family by the head of the
family. It follows therefore that a defendant in an action concerning family
land shall have recourse to the family from which he traces his rights to the
land in issue and who best to fall on than the head of that family or his
representative. It is even more imperative as it is the title this family has
conveyed to the defendant which in issue. See <b><i>Isaac Stephen Netty Marbel v
Richard Akwei consolidated with Richard Akwei v Emelia Chicher Cofie 14 WACA
143</i></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">It
is indeed fit and proper for the head of family of Pedro Nii Kpakpo Oti family
to be joined as 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant to this suit as the family’s original
‘estate or interest’ in the land in dispute is in issue, consequently any
declaration of title obtained in plaintiffs favour in this matter will act as
estoppel on the family and it cannot deny the title of the plaintiff. See <b><i>Fiscian
v Tetteh 2 WALR 192</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Consequently
this court will grant the defendant’s applicant application in part i.e. Nii
Amanor Ankrah, head of the Pedro Nii kpakpo Oti family otherwise known as the
Nii kpakpo Oti family of Dadeban Naa Otublohum shall be joined as 2<sup>nd</sup>
defendant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" </main>