News:
January 19, 2015
Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru Kennedy Osei Nyarko has urged the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs to immediately intervene in the raging Akim Swedru Chieftaincy dispute.
According to him, a speedy intervention and adjudication by the Chiefs group, will determine the locus of the Chief, Okowtwaresuo Kantamanto Owarae Agyekum who has become the subject of the dispute.
Sunday’s unrest also saw the Chief’s palace being torched during the celebration of the Akwasidae festival by irate youth who also pelted stones at some individuals amidst the confusion.
The chaos left one person dead while four others sustained various degrees of injury. They are all part of irate youth who are refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the chief of the town.
Tension has been brewing following clashes between supporters of the chief and the queen mother of the area.
The youth claim Okowtwaresuo Kantamanto Owarae Agyekum has been destooled as the chief of the town and so cannot hold himself out as such.
The police have arrested 14 people suspected to have been involved in the clash as the security agency step up the efforts in maintaining law and order in the area.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem show on Monday, Hon. Kennedy Osei Nyarko who said he didn’t want to take sides in the dispute appealed for calm among the inhabitants since development cannot take place in a state of anarchy.
“We need to maintain peace in our town as has been the case over the years, we have a reputation for having notable persons in Ghana coming from this town and we need not dent the good name we’ve built for ourselves” he said.
Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh