Citizens of Twedie petition Asantehene

Twedie (Ash), Oct 11, GNA - The citizens of Twedie in the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma district in Ashanti on Tuesday staged a four-hour demonstration to register their displeasure at the failure of some three chiefs to give compensation that is due them after their farmlands had been sold to private developers.

The citizens accused the chiefs, including Baafour Appiah Dankwa III, Anantahene of Kumasi and overlord of Twedie, Nana Kwarteng Panin Akosah II, Odikro of Twedie and Nana Poku Afrifa Asiamah, chief of Toase for allegedly selling about 500 acres of their farmlands in the past six years to estate developers and some poultry farmers.

They said in spite of this, the said chiefs had deliberately refused to give them compensation as directed by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene who gave the directive following recommendations made by a committee he set up in 1999 to look into the impasse that arose between the citizens and the chiefs.

The demonstrators, who were clad in red and carrying placards some of which read, 93Pay us our compensation=94, 93Stop depriving us of our livelihood=94, 93We want justice now=94 and 93We will stop participating in communal labour=94, marched through the streets of Twedie and later presented a petition to the Asantehene.

The 12-point petition which was signed by 18 elders and eminent citizens of Twedie, appealed to the Asantehene to launch an enquiry into circumstances that led to the consistent failure and deliberate attempt by the chiefs in paying the compensation due them.

It also called for investigations into what they alleged was the indiscriminate sale of lands earmarked for development projects by some of the chiefs.

'Lands allocated by our grandfathers to build police barracks, schools, hospital and other important public institutions have all been sold', the petition said.

In an interview with newsmen after the demonstration, Mr Frank William Boye-Kyem, spokesman for the aggrieved citizens and an elder of the town decried the hardships most citizens of Twedie were going through as a result of the injustice meted out to them by the chiefs. He expressed optimism that Otumfuo Osei Tutu would expedite action on the petition to enable the needy citizens of Twedie to lead meaningful lives as the farmlands were the only source of their livelihood.

Mr Boye-Kyem said even though some of the chiefs, had vehemently denied selling the farmlands indiscriminately, the citizens had cause for suspicion that some are still engaged in the illegal sale of some lands earmarked for development projects.

When contacted, all the chiefs denied that they had sold the farmlands indiscriminately and also refused to pay the aggrieved citizens their due compensation.

They said the accusations were part of efforts by some of the aggrieved citizens to tarnish their hard won reputation. Nana Panin Akosah said there was the need for an enquiry into the alleged illegal sale of lands in the area by the Asantehene so as to 'set the records straight and help redeem our image'.

Baafour Appiah Dankwah also denied ever appointing some residents of Twedie to demarcate and sell lands to estate developers.