AWUDU GOGOBIDI vs. SAMUEL SEWOR AND SIMON NYAME AMEMASOR [2019]DLCA8699

Date	2019-06-26
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL: H1/03/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA8699

F.G. KORBIEH JA (PRESIDING)

M.M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA

M. A WOOD (MRS.) JA

RAYMOND AKPATSA FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT/ APPELLANT

EBENEZER AHIATOR FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS

[2019]DLCA8699
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AWUDU GOGOBIDI<o:p></o:p><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;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;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>SAMUEL SEWOR AND SIMON NYAME
 AMEMASOR<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT
 OF APPEAL, HO]<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">
 CIVIL APPEAL: H1/03/2019&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&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: 26TH JUNE, 2019<o:p></o:p>
 </div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>RAYMOND AKPATSA FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT/ 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">
 EBENEZER AHIATOR FOR
 PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p>
 </div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
 mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
 mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">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">
 F.G. KORBIEH JA
 (PRESIDING), M.M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA, M. A WOOD (MRS.) JA<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="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
 .0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:
 none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;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>AGYEMANG JA:<o:p></o:p>On February 9, 2018, the High Court, Denu delivered
a judgment dismissing an appeal lodged before it against the judgment of the
District Court, Aflao. This is an appeal by the defendant/appellant (hereafter referred
to as the defendant, or the appellant), against the said judgment.<o:p></o:p>The matters antecedent to the instant appeal, are
as follows:<o:p></o:p>The plaintiffs/respondents (hereafter referred to
alternately as the plaintiffs, or the respondents), commenced suit against the
defendant at the District Court, Aflao, claiming the following reliefs: the
recovery of rent arrears in the sum of Ȼ2,200,
a quit order for the defendant to vacate the land in dispute, and costs of
suit.<o:p></o:p>It was the case of the plaintiffs that their family
was the owner of the land in dispute, described as located near the main
Customs (CEPS) yard, towards the Lome-Aflao border; bounded on one side by Zigge,
on another, by Sekoli, on another, by the Preventive School, and on the last
side by Dzaka, opposite the highway, in front of Eliklim Pharmacy, measuring
about a quarter of a building plot. <o:p></o:p>According to the plaintiffs, the disputed land, at
present, occupied by the defendant, belonged to one Torgbui Dzikla by purchase
in 1957, and that the ownership passed to their grandfather Azalekor Kwadzo
Dokla. <o:p></o:p>It was the case of the plaintiffs that the father
of the defendant: Alhaji Cocobiri or Gogobidi, or Bokobiri (as the case may be),
entered into an oral agreement with the plaintiffs’ grandfather for him to occupy
the said land as a tenant. The plaintiffs who gave hearsay evidence regarding
the said agreement, not having had firsthand knowledge of the matter, testified
of the rent payments allegedly made by the defendant’s father to their grandfather
under the agreement although they failed to corroborate their assertion with
receipts or other evidence of such payments. <o:p></o:p>It was their case, that upon the death of his
father, the defendant took over the occupation of the land in dispute under the
alleged agreement, but failed to pay rent. So it was that the plaintiffs, in 2006,
and then in 2008, and 2014, allegedly invited the defendant to a meeting for
him to attorn tenant to the plaintiffs’ family. The defendant allegedly failed
to heed their call until he was summoned by the second plaintiff to a family
meeting. At the said family meeting, the defendant allegedly told them that he
was travelling to Mecca and would come for a discussion upon his return. He
allegedly left