Desperation can lead one to commit unthinkable acts. A thief has always smart plans or can easily devise means to extricate themselves from intricate situations when got cornered. No wonder therefore the Kontrihene of Kumawu in connivance with Kumawuhemaa has employed his wife to do the dirty work of getting him out of the neck-deep mess he seems inextricably mired.

Kumawu Kontrihene alias "Tikenenkenen" is on record for insensibly exploiting Kumawuman people. He is milking them dry financially. In order to mask his evil deeds and intentions as revealed in my previous articles, and to commit crime with impunity, he has tasked his wife to engage Kumawu Akwamuhene in a war of attrition. He sees his wife as able to get him off the hook or loosen the noose that is gradually but tightly closing up upon his neck. His wife is a relative of Akwamuhene. She is Akwamuhene's niece, to be more precise. This woman has constantly been insolent to Akwamuhene at the prodding of her husband. Not long ago, on the death of one of their relatives, this woman saw it an excellent opportunity to bait Akwamuhene to react in same manner to her provocations. She drenched Akwamuhene in insults, treating him to all the "Okwaseanpani"- related derogatory remarks. Her finger was on Akwamuhene's nose, wagging it provocatively amid raining of insults on him. It was all a vain attempt directed at getting Akwamuhene to give her dirty slaps in the face. If he had reacted according as expected or intended by the woman, people would have faulted him for disgracing his office as the Kumawu Akwamuhene.

An Asante tradition demands that chiefs or queens are never caught fighting or exchanging insults with whomever in public. In the event of a chief caught exchanging blows in public, the tradition allows for their instant removal from office. It suffice for the Kumawu Akwamuhene to have slapped the devil incarnate niece across the face than the malevolent Krontihene put in place the necessary traditional actions to get him destooled. The cleverer Akwamuhene who is very conversant with tradition, stayed above reproach. He remained calm in the face of all the incessant provocative insults intentionally heaped on him by his own manipulated niece.

When Akwamuhene had had enough of his niece's insolence, he got her arrested and charged to court. The presiding Judge dressed down Kontrihene's wife after her needless stupid insults and provocations were condemned. The judge obliged her to pay GHC 100 damages fine to Akwamuhene. The judge again imposed a bond to be of good behaviour towards Akwamuhene for at least a year on her. Should she renege on the terms of the bond within the time imposed, it may constitute an infraction punishable by jail sentence. She has since shut her beak and ceased chirping out her backward "akurase preman ni baa" insults. What a blow to the integrity and expectation of Kontrihene! We have caught him with his pants down; defeated halfway through his evil plans.

Kumawuhemaa on the other hand has worked the Wonoo Hemaa who doubles as the Kumawu Akwamuhemaa to terrorise Akwamuhene. They see Akwamuhene as supporting the course of the true paramount royals (Ananangyas and Odumases) of Kumawu. The Akwamuhemaa like that evil niece has also been rude to Akwamuhene. Akwamuhene prior to moving back to his Wonoo enclave a few months ago, used to live in Kumawu. He stayed in the family home of the Akwamuhemaa at Kumawu Zongo. The woman thought she has Akwamuhene's finger in her mouth that she could bite as and when she wished because her family has offered him a place to live. Without her family, who is Akwamuhene? Why then was Akwamuhene never ready to dance to the tune of her music, the clapping of her hands, and the tapping of her foot.

Akwamuhene finally decided to quit Kumawu. He moved to Wonoo to avoid the possible and looming entrapment by the provocative actions to remove him from office. Let the Akwamuhemaa note that when "men were men" where was she? When Opayin Asumadu was putting up the house on behalf of Opayin Johnson in the late and early 1960s and 1970s respectively, where was she? She should not provoke John Fosu, a stranger who is but well versed in Kumawuman history to belittle her by revealing a lot that will make her "Madam nobody" same as her buddy, Kumawuhemaa.

I wonder how evil some people could be. Why should these two mentioned women work against the greater interest of Kumawuman? I cannot get my head around it unless "Ahenenananomhene", that insane chap basking in evilness explains it in his usual crazy way. Kumawu Kontrihene has dug up his own grave. His days in office are numbered, I should think. If I had my own way, I will ask for his removal from office but that decision is down to the suffering citizens of Kumawuman and his Bretuo family. Make me proud for once by forcing him out of office. His bulky but hollow head frighten off people.

John Fosu