ABENA GYABEA & 2 OTHERS vs. KWAKU YEBOAH & 3 OTHERS [2019]DLCA6923

Date	2019-06-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL SUIT NO: H1/84/18
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA6923

M. OWUSU JA (PRESIDING)

S. DZAMEFE JA

M. WELBOURNE JA

[2019]DLCA6923
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ABENA GYABEA &amp; 2 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>KWAKU YEBOAH &amp; 3 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<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;
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CIVIL APPEAL SUIT NO: H1/84/18&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 25TH JUNE, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>M. OWUSU JA
(PRESIDING), S. DZAMEFE JA, M. WELBOURNE JA<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
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</div>DZAMEFE,
JA<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff/appellant
issued this writ at the High Court, Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana
against the defendant/respondent for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Declaration
that the plaintiff’s immediate maternal family owns all that piece and parcel
of land, lying, situate and being at “ANYINASU” and which said land shares
common boundary with Nana Kwaku Kumah (dec), Nana Kwame Donkor (the late
Asikasuhene), Maame Afia Gyamaa (dec) and the “Anyinasu” stream<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An
order of perpetual injunction<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further
orders<o:p></o:p>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General
damages for trespass<o:p></o:p>The three plaintiffs are
farmers at Asikasu No.1 in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Brong Ahafo
Region while the 1st defendant is a mechanic and the two others are
farmers.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The 1st plaintiff
avers in his Statement of Claim that the land in dispute was acquired by her
maternal grandmother by name Abena Gyabeah, together with his uncles Kofi
Yeboah and Kwaku Boah jointly in its virgin state about 90 years ago.&nbsp; This land he said is situate and lying at a
place commonly known and called “Ayinasu” near Asikasu on the Dormaa Stool
land. <o:p></o:p>It is his case that his
maternal grandmother and the two uncles mentioned earlier reduced the land into
a cocoa farm and shared boundary with the properties of Agya Kwaku Kumah
(decd), Nana Kwame Donkor (decd), the late Asikasuhene and Maame Afia Gyamaah’s
(decd).<o:p></o:p>The plaintiffs aver
further that the three, Obaapanyin Abena Gyaba and two uncles during their
lifetime enjoyed the proceeds from their farms on the disputed land without let
or hindrance from anybody or any quarter whatsoever till 1983, thereabout when
the nationwide fire outbreak burnt and destroyed the entire cocoa trees.<o:p></o:p>Plaintiff said they later
rehabilitated the farm and for several years the late Obaapanyin Abena Gyabea
continued farming on the land in dispute till 2013 when the defendants started
laying adverse claim to the said land by cultivating same.&nbsp; Wherefore the plaintiff’s claim the reliefs
endorsed on the writ of summons.<o:p></o:p>The defendant/respondents
in their statement of defence aver that 1st plaintiff is deceased
and the 2nd plaintiff lives at Kruen at all material times of his
life and had no farm at Asikasu No.1.&nbsp; It
is the defendant’s case that the land in dispute was originally acquired many
years ago in its virgin state by Okomfo Asenua who was the wife of the late
Chief of Asikasu, Nana Kwame Donkor, the founder of Asikasu.<o:p></o:p>The defendants say they
are maternally related to Nana Okomfo Asenua and upon her death her entire land
devolved onto their family in accordance with customary practices of the people
of Asikasu No.1 of Dormaa who are Akans.<o:p></o:p>The defendant’s state that
after the death of Okomfo Asenua, the land devolved to Nana Akua Gyamaa, then
to Kwaku Kumah, then to Kofi Yeboah, then to Ibrahim @ Ibrahima, then to the 3rd
defendant, Sirikye Kuamoh presently. The 3rd defendant, is a nephew
to Kwaku Kumah, Kofi Yeboah and Ibrahim and presently the customary successor
to Ibrahim.&nbsp; This 3rd
defendant, they aver is the current family Head of the family at Asikasu No.1,
Aboabo No.4 and Amaasu.<o:p></o:p>It is the case of the
defendants that Kwaku Kumah mentioned by the plaintiff’s as a boundary owner
was maternally related to the defendants and the disputed land</main>