TINDANA AGONGO AKUBAYELA vs. YAKUBU AWABEGO [2021]DLCA10814

Date	2021-06-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/1/2020
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10814

JUSTICE VICTOR OFOE (MR.) J.A (PRESIDING)

JUSTICE JANAPARE A. BARTELS-KODWO (MRS.) J.A.

JUSTICE SOPHIA R. BERNASKO ESSAH (MRS.) J.A.

HANSEN KWADWO KODUA ESQ. FOR RESPONDENT/APPELLANT

EMILIO KANOMUOH MUSAH ESQ. FOR APPLICANT/RESPONDENT

[2021]DLCA10814
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >TINDANA AGONGO AKUBAYELA<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>YAKUBU AWABEGO<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL
APPEAL NO.: H1/1/2020 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&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 &nbsp;JUNE, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">HANSEN KWADWO KODUA ESQ. FOR RESPONDENT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -18pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">EMILIO
KANOMUOH MUSAH ESQ. FOR APPLICANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE VICTOR OFOE (MR.) J.A (PRESIDING),
JUSTICE JANAPARE A.
BARTELS-KODWO (MRS.) J.A., JUSTICE SOPHIA R. BERNASKO ESSAH (MRS.) J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;BARTELS-KODWO J.A. <o:p></o:p>This is an appeal by
the Respondent/Appellant (to be known in this judgment as the Appellant) against
the ruling of the High Court, Bolgatanga dated 29th&nbsp;&nbsp; October, 2019 in which the High Court
granted relief to the Respondent. The Supreme Court is stated to have dismissed
this same relief against the Applicant/Respondent (to be known in this judgment
as the Respondent) in 2016. By an Originating Summons filed on 11th
June, 2019, at the High Court the Respondent sought to enforce the judgment of
the Supreme Court dated 23rd November, 2016.&nbsp; The Appellant dissatisfied with the ruling of
the High Court filed this Appeal.<o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND FACTS<o:p></o:p>The facts briefly
are that the parties herein owned land contiguous to one another in Bolgatanga
with the Appellant’s land called Tindonsobligo and the Respondent’s land at
Kalibeo. It is the case that in a matter of compensation the Respondent’s
predecessor took out an action in the High Court, Bolgatanga in the year 2007
seeking a declaration that the Awure Family of Kalbeo was the proper entity
entitled to compensation in respect of a parcel of land acquired by the State
under Executive Instrument (E.I. 10) of 2004 which was occupied by the Bulk Oil
Storage and Transport Company Limited (herein after to be referred to as BOST).
The Respondent made a claim for twenty thousand, six hundred and three Ghana
Cedis (Ghc20,603.00) being the freehold reversionary interest in respect of 9.2
acres of land. The Land Valuation Division of Lands Commission, Bolgatanga however
paid this sum to the Appellant exclusively on 5th January, 2007 in
his capacity as the Tindana (owner of the land) or holder of the allodial
title. <o:p></o:p>It so happened
unknown to the Respondent that the Appellant’s predecessor had also made a
claim for compensation in respect of the same piece of land. Unfortunately, the
Land Valuation Board, Accra failed to resolve the true ownership of the land
and went ahead to process the payment of the compensation which was forwarded
to the Regional Land Valuation Officer, Bolgatanga for payment to the true
owner of the land as acquired under E.I. 10. This led to a dispute between the
Awure family who were in actual possession of the land acquired under the
Executive Instrument in issue and the Tindana of Tindonsobligo who had also
applied for the same compensation.<o:p></o:p>In a bid to find an
amicable solution to the impasse, an out of Court settlement was reached involving
the representatives of the Land Valuation Board, Bolgatanga and the parties. It
was agreed that the compensation amount due was to be shared in the ratio of
60% and 40% to the Tindana of Tindonsobligo and Awure respectively. This
resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding executed on 20th March,
2006, between the parties, see page 35 of the record of Proceedings, (ROA). It
is important to note that at the time this agreement was reached the Supreme
Court had not pronounced that the Tindana of Tindonsobligo is the Tindana of
Kalbeo i.e. allodial holder of Kalbeo lands. It however did so ten years later
on 23rd November, 2016.<o:p></o:p>The suit at the
High Court travelled all the way to the apex court in the Appellant’s favour.
The Supreme Court adjudged the Appellant to be the owner of all Tindonsobligo
lands including the land acquired under the E.I. 10 for BOST. The Respondent’s
claim for a portion of the freehold reversionary interest was dismissed by the
Supreme Court. The Supreme Court declared the Appellant the allodial owner of
all lands in Tindosobligo including that acquired un</main>