The Chief and elders of Appolonia, in the Kpone-Katamanso District of the Greater Accra Region have vowed to crush one Nii Iddrisu Tettey Mansro, a native of the area who has arrogated onto himself, the title of Regent of the community and using same to cause confusion and anarchy in the area.
Nii Iddrisu Tettey Mansro, who has over the years claimed he is the Regent of Appolonia, the Appolonia Stool said, has illegally sold several thousands of plots of stool land to individuals and leased 1,000 acres of land to SINO Africa Development Company Limited for GHc4 million.
SINO Africa Development Company Limited, a subsidiary of Jospong Group of Companies, the Appolonia Stool further explained, had acted unlawfully, without the consent of the Chief and elders of Appolonia and the Stool, for the purpose of getting the Stool lands.
That unlawful act of purchase, it continued, was to enrich some three disgruntled indigenes of Appolonia led by the self-styled Regent Iddrisu Mansro, whom the Stool said would deal with at the appropriate time.
Joshua Nii Akpeng Tettey, assistant Secretary for the Appolonia Stool, told some journalists at a press conference that “Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, the Greater Accra Regional (GAR) Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpone-Katamanso, is assisting in the illegal activities, as a form of revenging against Joseph Akuerteh Tettey, a son of Appolonia, for challenging him at the last NDC’s parliamentary primary.”
Stating the case of the Stool, Joshua Nii Akpeng Tettey said the Stool got wind of the grant of the 1,000 acres of its lands through the police, who forwarded a copy of a petition sent to them by SINO Africa Development Company Limited, that some policemen were harassing the company, after they had bought their property from the chief and elders of Appolonia.
He said the late Chief, Nii Tei Adumuah II, who reigned continuously for almost 38 years until his demise on January 14, 2014, condemned the illegal action by Nii Iddrisu Mansro and his two accomplices.
“The Stool, consequently, through its lawyer, responded to SINO Africa Development Limited, denying knowledge of the grant of the 1,000 acres of land to them by Nii Iddrisu Mansro, Seth Gblie Narteh and Seth Afum”, Mr. Joshua Akpeng Tettey, a former Assembly member of the Haanoi Electoral area noted.
Continuing, he said SINO Africa wrote a letter to Nii Iddrisu Tettey Mansro in 2011, informing him that the company has realized that he and his accomplices lacked the capacity to alienate the 1,000 acres of the Appolonia Stool Land and, therefore, they should refund the money to the company.
Portions of the letter dated December 19, 2011, stated “As you will recall sometime in 2010, SINO Africa Development Company Limited acquired 1,000 acres of land at Appolonia from your good self and two other persons namely; Seth Gblie Narteh and Seth Afum.
“In furtherance of the above stated objective, the company has decided to cease all future payments to your side and further demand a refund of payments made whether in cash or in kind within 14 days from the date of this letter”.
He posited that in spite of the education and proper procedural engagements the Stool, through its lawyer, gave SINO Africa, they were surprised the company at that press conference, said they acted genuinely by obtaining the said land from the Chief of the Appolonia Stool.
“This sudden u-turn by SINO Africa occurred after the NDC parliamentary primary when a son of Appolonia stood for the election to challenge Laryea Afotey-Agbo who, thereafter, vowed to take vengeance on the Appolonia Stool and its lands.”
However, Joshua Nii Akpeng Tettey said SINO Africa and its Chinese partners, hiding behind Afotey-Agbo and Nii Mansro, could be deceiving itself, holding that the GAR Minister cum MP and Nii Mansro were unlawful actors.
“SINO Africa can continue funding the MP’s political campaign and continue paying money to the three Appolonia rebels, but we, the people of Appolonia, are telling them that we will definitely get to that point of fully stripping naked all the 419 actors.
“We will take our lands back and then when we are done, we will deal with the power intoxicated self-styled Regent of Appolonia, who has no royal lineage as far as Appolonia is concerned,” he opined.
The Stool Secretary concluded that the gazetted Chief of Appolonia is Nii Nuertey Amobi II, whose lawful enstoolment ceremony were witnessed and authenticated by Nii Tetteh Otu II, Paramount Chief of Kpone Traditional Area and Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo in 2014.
When contacted, a couple of months ago on his response to a statement by the Chief of Appolonia, which sought to condemn his activities in Appolonia and its environs, Nii Iddrisu Tettey Mansro said he does not recognize Nii Nuertey Amobi II and his elders and, therefore, would not react to the comments.
Meanwhile, a little over three weeks ago, SINO Africa Development Company Limited organized a press conference, which prompted Tuesday’s press meeting by the Appolonia Stool.
At that press conference, Gabriel Forceby -Operations Manager of SINO Africa said his outfit acquired the 1,000 acres of Appolonia Stool lands from the legitimate grantors namely, Nii Iddrisu Tettey Mansro, Seth Gblie Narteh and Seth Afum.
He explained that they did due diligence by conducting a number of searches at the Lands Commission to establish who the lands truly belongs to before entering into an agreement to buy the 1,000 acres of land from the company’s grantors.
Unfortunately, the website could not get the reaction of the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo as all efforts to reach him on his two mobile phones did not work, because the lines were out of coverage area.
The paper could not also get a response to a text message to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kpone-Katamanso constituency at the time of going to press.
