ALHAJI KAMARA vs. REV. DR. PAUL DAPAA [2017]DLCA4523

Date	2017-11-30
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/12/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA4523

AYEBI J.A. (PRESIDING)

TORKORNOO (MRS) J. A.

DOMAKYAAREH (MRS) J. A.

KWADWO DEI KWARTENG

PIUS KWADWO ASARE

[2017]DLCA4523
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ALHAJI KAMARA<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>REV. DR. PAUL DAPAA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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">

SUIT NO. H1/12/2017&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 30TH NOV, 2017<o:p></o:p>

PIUS
KWADWO ASARE&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>TORKORNOO (MRS), J.A.<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff/Respondent commenced this action against the 1st Defendant/Appellant
for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration of title to all Building
Plot No. 56 Block B on the Boagyaa-Taabuo Stool Land with a One (1) bedroom
house on it at Atimatim Taabuom is vested in the Plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Recovery of possession.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Special damages of Two Thousand Ghana
cedis (GH¢2,000.00) for the destruction of fence wall, gate and orchard.<o:p></o:p>d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General damages for trespass.<o:p></o:p>e.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Perpetual injunction restraining the
Defendant, his agents, servants workers, assigns etc. from having any dealings
with or on the Plaintiff’s plot.<o:p></o:p>f.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Costs.<o:p></o:p>In
the title of the suit, he indicated that he was ‘suing for himself and on
behalf of his brother Justice Kwaku Ennuson’. The 2nd Defendant later applied
to join the suit. <o:p></o:p>The
Respondent’s case in his Statement of Claim was that he purchased the property
in issue ‘for his junior brother called Justice Kwaku Ennuson’ from the Boagyaa
Taabuo Stool in 2003. He claimed to have been in quiet and undisturbed
possession for nearly ten years when the Respondent trespassed on the property
in 2012 and ‘laid waste’ to it by destroying inter alia the fence wall, gate,
orchard of orange trees, sand, cement, concrete blocks. He concluded that he
holds a superior title and the Appellant’s claim to the land is adverse,
invalid and unlawful. <o:p></o:p>In
his defence, the Appellant was also adamant that whoever allocated the land to
the Respondent lacked capacity to do so. He averred that he properly acquired
the land from the same Boagyaa Taabuo Stool after conducting a search on the
land. He had also been recognized as owner of the land and exercised acts of
possession such as paying rent to the Administrator of Stool lands, and rates.
He counter claimed for<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration of title to Plot No. 56,
Block B, being one building Plot located on Boagyaa-Taabuo Stool Land, Atimatim
Taabuo in the Kwabre East District of Ashanti.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of perpetual injunction to
restrain the Plaintiff, his agents, servants, workmen and all other persons
claiming title through him from interfering with the Plaintiff’s quiet enjoyment
of the said land.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General damages for trespass.<o:p></o:p>The
2nd Defendant also counter claimed for ‘a declaration that the Plaintiff’s
grantor, Kofi Owusu lacked capacity to make grant of the disputed plot to him
(Plaintiff) and that the said grant is invalid’<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;After a trial, in which the respective
grantors testified in support of the parties to this appeal, the court
concluded that the 2nd Defendant did not own the land in issue and cannot grant
the land to the Appellant. He also found and held that at the time the 2nd
Defendant was purporting to grant the land to the Appellant, it had already
been validly granted to the Respondent. He gave judgment in favour of the
Respondent on all the reliefs as endorsed on his writ of summons. He dismissed
the Appellant’s counterclaims and awarded costs. <o:p></o:p>The
Appellant appealed on the following grounds: <o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The learned trial judge erred in his
failure to consider fraud as was establi</main>