Juabenhene Otuo Serebuor II has no powers over Konongo chieftaincy cases

Juabenhene Daasebre Nana Otuo Serebuor II has gotten himself into yet another trouble in Asante. He recently exercised excessive force over Norbowam's chieftaincy affairs and destooled the chief there over Chinese cement investment in Norbowam.

Konongo is a hotspot and has started burning now all because of Otuo Serebuor II mood-switching episodes. Does Juabenhene enjoy seeing trouble in places? The current Konongo chieftaincy affairs turning heads around is reminiscent of the Juaso Kwasi Prempeh-Owusu Akyaw debacle. Otuo Serebuor II is undertaking an errand that is very very slippery. What does he know about Konongo?

The history of Konongo is very interesting! Konongo already existed to witness the travel of slaves to the new world in 1535 and also observed the first USA Independence Day celebration in 1776. The author publishes excerpts of his book: “The History of Konongo and Projections of its Modern Development”, a 450-page first edition of premier Konongo chronicles. It brings an opportunity for readers to develop critiques to purify the narratives contained in this book.

The author traveled afar to interview and debate experts in Konongo history specifically for fact-checking and additional information deficient in the author’s notebook. Some of the narratives were too controversial so the author designed them in a more disciplined, soft-tone, and diplomatic language to attract decent conversations. The book is particularly written to a formally complete cessation of all hostilities initiated by the Asantes.

Konongo holds no allegiance to any power. The Asantes launched an attack and Abodom fought back. Abodom lost its Chief, Nana Amo Kusi, in cold-blooded unprovoked murder. Abodom attacked and destroyed the Asante’s war post at present-day Juaben. They locked horns ready for the last showdown, but something mysteriously happened. The Sagrenti war weakened the Asantes’ war front.

The Asantes begged for Abodom joint operations to defeat their common British enemy forces. The hostilities ended abruptly and the Asantes dropped the charges they had leveled against Abodom. Abodom should have demanded the removal of the mercenary war post, but the Sagrenti war’s heavy toll on Asante impacted their empire build-up. The King was arrested together with Queen Mother Nana Yaa Asantewaa. Asante became ungovernable in the aftermath of the war. Prayer sessions proceeded for the Asanteland to resume peace.

Surprisingly, a group erupted calling itself royals with Omanhene at the Juaben war post occupying Abodom stool land and claiming ownership of Konongo-Abodom in its entirety as the rightful buyer of Konongo and everyone living on the land. This group fabricated stories that Juaben Queen Mother purchased Konongo-Abodom for 30 predwan (£240) British pounds sterling from a certain Oyokohene as boldly specified in the Rattray Report.

Another statement claimed ownership of Konongo by a certain Juaben Serwaa for (£120) British pounds sterling for non-payment of royalties that Konongohene had defaulted over his duties to service bahatuo. Interestingly, the Juabens have tagged the original 30 predwan with the Asantes as their own demand; as well as their Juaben Serwaa’s 15 predwan baha royalties.

The royalties from Konongo to this oligarchical group also demanded Konongohene to swear the oath of allegiance to this group. At what point in Konongo history did Juaben become the owner of Konongo and demand an oath of allegiance and payment of fees? All these concocted Juaben stories against Konongo are weird and ridiculous. Konongo was a Paramountcy already and never defeated by any power, hence Konongo owes nothing to Juaben and does not swear any oath of allegiance to any power and definitely not to a little tenant, Juaben.

The author hopes that this book reaches every soul on this planet to add the information needed to improve the quality of human life. Ignorance is a terrible disease! Konongo experienced spells of turbulent leadership challenges and fell into the hands of wrong chiefs towing down on wrong and desperate Juaben prescriptive orders, bringing leadership at Konongo against the will of its citizens. Tell the truth to liberate the suppressed.

It is your responsibility to free the soul from bondage. Do not develop a culture of see-no-evil-hear-no-evil, or look aside and tell nobody! Knowingly covering up the dire information needed to liberate the afflicted is a crime by itself. Don’t cover-up. Don’t allow anybody to tell your own story. Tell the truth because Konongo history is clear and elaborate…Juaben NEITHER owns Konongo NOR and deserves an oath of allegiance from Konongo. Period! Juaben is living on deceptive pretenses.

Chapter 1 discusses an introductory step-by-step developmental report about Konongo and how its kingship has proceeded until today. The concluding note showed that the Asantes brought their war and lost all seven encounters they were engaged in with Abodom. Chapter 2 follows up with interviews of traditional chiefs and expert historical analysts to seek their opinions about developments in Konongo.

The debate extends the critical sticking points in the Juaben claim of Konongo as its own property. The author takes up the challenge to travel to three key traditional chiefs within the Great Asona Clan—Ejisuhene, Manso-Nkwantahene, and Agonahene—to seek their opinions about Konongo. The author has already made many visits to both the National and Regional House of Chiefs’ libraries to join conversations, debates and readings to legitimize the narratives in the book. Their conversations will be transcribed for smoother reading.

Chapter 3 concludes the historical narratives about Konongo with a strong warning to Juaben. Notably, Juaben was not a known community in the years between 1645 and 1700 during the Asantes hostilities against Abodom. Also, it was the Asante leader who approached the Omanhene of Abodom, Nana Kwame Marfo, to demand payment of 30 predwan (£240) British pounds sterling as apiatowor or titodee and NOT Juaben because the name Juaben never existed within the timeframe of the hostilities.

It was after the murder of Nana Amo Kusi that Asantes erected three mud-structured roundavel huts on Abodom stool land as a war post and brought in Moshie-Dagwani recruits as mercenaries to check the southern corridor and to operate sporadic attacks on Abodom.

The war post was also charged with surveillance duties and to report the movements of Abodom soldiers and the possibility of attacking the Asante warriors. Additionally, Abodom forces destroyed the three huts from the Abodom stool land. Note also very well that Abodom was so powerful to take on the entire Asante warriors and still defeat them, and that any engagement with Juaben would have annihilated Juaben from the surface of the earth in those years and even now.

Juaben does not compare Konongo in any way to the extent that Konongo should come under a deceptive tenant. Has Juaben gained control over Konongo to manipulate it again in perpetuity as they desire? What do we do with Juaben’s deliberate stubbornness and disregard for the Supreme Court ruling and its penchant to commit crimes endlessly?

ABODOM:THE GENESIS OF KONONGO
Abodom is the original name of Konongo. The name change occurred in 1891. Konongo Abodom was an established community with a well-advanced leadership structure. Figure 2 below shows the governing structure of Konongo-Abodom in AD1400. Konongo-Abodom was already a Paramountcy before the Asante hostilities began.

The table on the next page also lists all the Paramount Chiefs of Abodom who ruled without allegiance to any other authority including a point when Abodom became Konongo and started swearing oath of allegiance to Juaben Chiefs via approval from Juaben Queen Mothers. When did Abodom lose its vital bolts and screws?

Konongo-Abodom Gates and Their Track on Kingship

There are five (5) Gates of the Asona Clan Royal Family, who rule at Konongo. Any of the Gates can rule when the Queen Mother and the Kingmakers so deem it fit and desirable. The Gates also rule Akyem Kotoku Abodom. Historically, a little girl, Yaa Asuako Ago, travelled with her parents in search of a safe haven to develop the family. Their humble beginning around the confluence of Rivers Anunu, Birim, and Pra was too plain and threatened peace and stability.

The family decided to continue the journey. Old age caught up and she lost her parents whose health dwindled when they faced the Kwahu ranges on the far-right side and the intimidating deep and long river banks on the left side. Nana Yaa Asuako Ago moved northwards away from the southern corridor of the built-up of the already congested population on the main trading line of the West African route.

She travelled deeper into the afforested Kwaaduboomu dungeons with a large population of wild dogs (hyaenas) at the present-day Konongo to avoid stray bullets and unexpected attacks.

She found peace and started farming to develop and feed her family in 1376. Nana Yaa Asuako Ago had three daughters—Amaah, Manu, and Mansa—and two sons—Asiedu Papakesee and Akwasi Gyinaye. Nana Yaa Asuako Ago’s sister, who had married along the journey and settled elsewhere with her husband joined them at Kwaaduboomu after her husband passed away and the family extended. The third generation of the royal family that took cover at Akyem Kotoku during the Asante hostilities followed the strict Abodom royal lineage.

Akwasi Gyinaye’s niece, Abenaa Kesewaa, from Nana Yaa Asuako Ago had a son called Asamoa Korang, who also had a niece called Akosua Antwiwaa, whose son Kwabena Debra succeeded uncle Asamoa Korang. Kwabena Debra was destooled and Nana Afrifa Kwatiani Yamoah Ponko was enstooled and ruled for seven years and voluntarily destooled himself and Nana Akwasi Dwomo ascended the throne.

It was at this point that Konongo Apontuah cried to bring the real royals in the Kotoku hideout to come back to Asante Abodom to rule. Abenaa Manu and Akosua Mansa from Yaa Asuako Ago also expanded the Royal Family Tree. Manu had two daughters—Abenaa Faa and Adwoa Taa.

Taa did not have children, but Abenaa Faa had only one daughter with Omanhene of Oda called Yaa Fosuhemaa. Fosuhemaa also married the Chief of Akyem Kusi in Akyem Kotoku. Fosuhemaa had seven children. Six of them died before reaching their twentieth birthday.

Kusihene got upset and followed up with the deities and was told that Fosuhemaa’s younger mom, Adwoa Taa, was the one consuming her children in bitterness over her inability to have children. Taa got mad and died miserably. Yaa Fosuhemaa sought for the deity’s assistance to hold her subsequent children and had her seventh daughter, Abenaa Fosuaa.

As a deity-held baby girl, she was known as Abenaa Tanoa Bagyina. Tanoa, Amaaku, Yaw Sarfo, Kofi Nimo, Akua Ampoma, and Nana Akwasi Dwomo were among the fourteen returnees, whom the deity, Konongo Apontuah, specifically demanded Nana Kwaa Nimo to bring back from Akyem Kotoku Abodom to rule Konongo as the rightful Royals. The list is too tall covering eight Centuries and fifty Generations.

However, it is not hard at all to lineate the Gates. Coupled with the back-and-forth thrust of the Royal hideout at Akyem Kotoku Abodom in the defence of Konongo-Abodom assets and black stools, the territorial integrity got mixed up with visitors who got too close to the throne and hijacked the line, especially those who came with Asona clan name’s sake and resemblances from places like Pataase near Kumasi.

The power struggle became too serious with the constant elimination of the real royals, but Konongo Apontuah did some reparations. It demanded the immediate return of the royals from Akyem Kotoku Abodom. Currently, the compromised Gates are five and they are: (1). Nana Yaa Asuako Ago (the main tree = Amaah, Manu, Mansa), (2). Nana Abenaa Kesewaa, (3). Nana Ntim Bakari, (4). Nana Akosua Antwiwaa (also known as Tenkoramaa), and (5). Nana Akua Afra (?).

The ability to track history along these trailblazers provides fine chances of becoming both Konongohene and Akyem Kotoku Abodomhene. All the Konongo Chiefs came from any of the 5 Gates. However, in cases where a Chief falsified his candidature through bribes and influences or by oversight to occupy the seat, two things happen: either (1) the second team of thinkers from the community sound alarm and bring to the attention of the Kingmakers over detouring from the right lane and the Chief would be destooled immediately, or (2) from hindsight, the deity, Konongo Apontuah, will cry and seek immediate redress.

Cases in point are: Kwame Marfo, Kwaa Nimo, Isaac Akyampong, and Atorbra Amakye. Konongo-Abodom Gates have a symbol of a Golden Right Hand Fist holding a Golden Key symbolic of the future prosperity of Konongo-Abodom. Of the 19 recorded Chiefs, only 5 died on the seat (Asiedu Papakesee, Batafo Akyampong Nti I, Amo Kusi, Akwasi Gyinaye and Batafo Akyampong Nti II).

The rest were either destooled or resigned. Konongo-Abodom royal family can be quick in enstooling their Chiefs, but can easily destool them. The kingmakers are highly volatile in their decisions in chieftaincy affairs. My professor in my MBA Organizational Behaviour class commented that: never run after management policies because they come by as buzzwords, as buses, as trains, or as women.

As one leaves you behind, don’t worry! Another one will be coming by shortly. Perhaps, Konongo will have to dig deeper into finding the genuine royals to rule. That will settle the City down to doing the right business to solve its incongruences to develop for good. Good governing policies will create good leadership and longevity of kingship.

The Arrival of the Royal Goddess Konongo Apontuah

Three girls returning home from fetching water from River Owere noticed that something mysterious was happening. One of the girls found the pot full of water on top of her head started boiling and suddenly, lightning from the thunderstorm stroke, and the girl carrying the boiling water started descending into the crust opening beneath her feet on the ground. The girl’s entire body disappeared and got buried in the ground leaving the boiling pot of water turned into gold nuggets and gold dust sticking on the ground.

The remaining two girls threw away their pots full of water and ran home to report the incident. Many attempts were made, but nobody was able to lift off the ground the pot full of gold. The elders started pouring libation and slaughtering sheep to appease gods and the dead. They sought an explanation from deities and they were told that the royal goddess, Konongo Apontuah, was the owner of the land and wants to direct Konongo into the future.

It directed the elders to get a fetish priest and Okomfuo Burabe from Asieninpong was assigned duties to interpret the god’s messages to the people. Asieninpong was a center for fetish priesthood that nearly all Asante fetish priests were ordained to represent the metaphysical spiritual realm and humanity.

Asieninpong spiritual site was believed to have trained fetish priests for the Asante King with their head holding a seat at the King’s palace at Manhyia known as Asumankwaahene representing Otumfuo’s fetish priests, who act as the intermediaries to interpret communications between the King and the Most High.

Fetish priests were feared personalities in the olden days and even to some extent modern days. Nearly all Asante villages and towns had gods to represent them and the Almighty God. Some of the known deities in Asante Akyem neighbourhoods are Konongo Apontuah, Praaso Apradaa Kofi, Kobiriso, Tano, Brakune, Kankamia, Morso Taaboosie, Koortwea, Asuofia, Antoa Nyamaa, etc., in which people who resided in these villages obeyed the deities with paid customary rites to them.

Konongo Apontuah made several corrections to the rightful royal members, who were fit to rule Konongo.

Abodom Internal Policy and Border Protection Strategy

In a bid to expand the City to fill its jurisdictional size and traditional stool lands to avoid possible territorial encroachment, Abodom designed an open arm strategy to encourage visitors to stay with them. The key areas were the northern and southern boundaries, and Abodom needed to fill in as soon as possible. The spaces between Abodom and Kumawu and Ejisu on the northern boundary; and with Asankare, Akuase, and Nkwanta on the southern boundary were too wide.

The need became even more urgent as Asante was mopping up to expand their territorial holdings and their urge to develop a kingdom and eventually an empire. Beginning from 1720 through 1750, 1860 to 1874, during the reigns of Opoku Ware I through Osei Yaw Akoto and Kwaku Dua I to Kofi Karikari in the Sagrenti war respectively, Asante expansionism was ruthless. These 4 kings in succession made a great debut to the Asante Kingdom with wars targeted to win the entire sphere of present-day Ghana and even beyond.

The four kings’ expansionism coincided with Abodom Chiefs Akwasi Gyinaye, Amo Kusi, Kwame Marfo, and Kwadwo Agyapong consecutively. Border infringement was very common in those days hence, Abodom’s strategy to protect them.

The Hwereso Northern Boundary: Omanhene of Oda, Nana Atafuah II, married twin girls from the Abodom Royal Family, but after a while the second twin girl runaway from Nana Atafuah II palace, and Omanhene of Abodom, Nana Asiedu Papakesee I, assigned her to go and develop her village over the Hwere River (Hwereso) and take care of the northern boundary. Nana Asiedu Papakesee I had constant visits to his niece’s village for security, assistance in farming, and annual festivals of great farming products.

The Southern Boundary: The southern boundary stretched from Asankare in Asante Akyem District in Ashanti Region to Nkwanta and Akuase in Kwahu District in the Eastern Region.

Juaso: To maintain the borders for constant checks with tight security, the Juaso depot became necessary. The people from Danten in the Eastern Region of Ghana brought testimonials from Nana Atafuah of Akyem Kotoku to ask for a place to stay. They were received and the Omanhene of Abodom, Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti I, prepared a site for them at present-day Juaso. In welcoming the visitors, Omanhene Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti I agreed to their request and directed them to go and stay at Dwaposo, where Queen Mother of Abodom had her people dug white clay for decorations.

Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti I later on married a sister of Juasohene, thereby creating blood relationship between Konongo-Abodom and Juaso. The memorandum of understanding (MOU), verbally agreed upon with all the visiting settlers on Konongo Stool lands was that: Abodomhene should always be consulted before anything could be done on stool lands allocated to them. Juasohene agreed to the rule and accepted the MOU as workable until today.

The southern borders with Konongo-Abodom stretched along Asankare in Asante Akyem District in Ashanti Region and also with Nkwanta and Akuase in Kwahu District in the Eastern Region. However, on the arrival of the colonial administration, the British sited the hilly part of Abodom that guaranteed them good weather and settled at Juaso as their District Administration Headquarters. Nevertheless, Konongo-Abodom Stool lands neither changed in jurisdictional ownership nor physical size.

The Central Belt Land-Guards: The Odumase enclave had neither political nor threatening controversies. There was the excitement of seeing our own brethren join together to pursue common progress. Konongo offered a special invitation to Odumase to join her.

Odumase: The people of Odumase came from Tweapease in the Central Region of Ghana to request for a place to settle at their present place. At a durbar welcoming them to Abodom, the visitors declared their appreciation to stay with their brothers and sisters from the same Clan, the Asona Clan of Tweapease. The Omanhene of Abodom Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti I in excitement asked the Chief and his followers to go and settle under the Omanhene’s own big Odum tree where he usually had a rest after hunting and gaming [kotena me dum no ase: Odumase].

Again, the Odumase visiting settlers agreed to the principles guiding the commonly-worded memorandum of understanding signed by all visitors.

The creation of the Odumase township was not specific to any need for security and protectionism as compared with the northern and southern demands other than the excitement of having had another Asona Clan brethren. Odumase was sited in close proximity to Konongo as a suburb and rather not to run warfare that could destroy Abodom.

The Odumase Chief, franked by his colleague-settlers, agreed to the conditions of the settlement rule: Consult with the Omanhene of Abodom in whatever they wanted to be done at their settlement. The Omanhene of Abodom in the days gone by was highly adored and nicknamed as: Akyemhene Nana Asiedu Papakesee I: Ododuor an Odi Amanfo! to signify his authority and protectionism in his peaceful milieu.

The Succession of Konongo-Abodom Paramount Chiefs

It is interesting to see anybody claim such a powerful Paramountcy in its entirety as their own. This book has carefully handled the Juaben–Konongo-Abodom impasse to solve the case amicably. Wars over Ghanaian stool lands become inevitable for one reason, and that is: chieftaincy is a rogue characterization to own anything if the attacking entity finds weaknesses on the other one playing peaceful defence.

Juaben finds Konongo-Abodom weak intellectually, militarily, and influenced by faulty leadership who may have usurped the seat and with abysmal ignorance of its own history, they claim to inherit.

Parenthetically, the fake-owning oligarchies find faulty historical claims to own the much disputed traditional land that the ignorant and faulty occupant holds on the Konongohene seat. A thief steals a valuable asset from a thief…Who reports to whom? Keep quiet and let’s chop! Juaben has to be extremely careful this time round!

Konongo-Abodom continuous running to Juaben in its defeatist strategy is reminiscent of psychological weaknesses and inferiority complexes to rule itself. Ignorance of own history surrenders oneself to the servitude of a hopeless stranger. Juaben does not own Konongo. Period! Neither does Konongo swear any oath of allegiance to Juaben. History does not teach us about the alternative. Ignorance on the part of Konongo is the cause of its own servitude.

TABLE 1

List of Paramount Chiefs of Konongo-Abodom Since AD1400

1. Queen Regent - Nana Yaa Asuako Ago- 1376–1430

2. Paramount Chief Nana Asiedu Papakesee I - 1430–1498

3. Paramount Chief - Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti I - 1498–1550

4. Paramount Chief - Nana Yaw Kyei I 1550–1567

5. Paramount Chief - Nana Bra Akyamfuor 1567–1582

6. Paramount Chief - Nana Akwasi Gyinaye (3x) 1582–1679

7. Paramount Chief - Nana Amo Kusi 1679–1760

8. Paramount Chief - Nana Kwame Marfo 1760–1778

9. Paramount Chief - Nana Kwadwo Agyapong 1778–1875

10. Paramount Chief - Nana Kwame Sarfo (Nimo) 1875–1945 (died 1947)

11. Konongo Chief - Nana Akwasi Dwomo (Returnee) 1945–1950

12. Konongo Chief - Nana Kwabena Abedimisa 1950–1956

13. Konongo Chief - Nana Akwasi Dwomo (2nd Coming) 1956–1960

14. Konongo Chief - Nana Isaac Akyampong (40-days) 1960–1960

15. Konongo Chief - Nana Yaw Kyei II 1960–1963

16. Konongo Chief - Nana Kwadwo Boampong 1963–1972 (1983 SC Ruling)

17. Konongo Chief- Nana Kwadwo Atorbra Amakye 1972–1981 (Null-and-Void)

18. Konongo Chief - Nana Kwame Batafo Akyampong Nti II 1981 (1983)–2022

19. Konongo Chief- Nana (Dr.) Albert Awuah Abedimisa II 2022– (Juabenhene infringe)

[At what point did Konongo become a victim to Juaben enstoolment-destoolment curses? Juaben does not own Abodom].

The first paramount chief of Konongo-Abodom was Omanhene Nana Asiedu Papakesee I. Prior to his rule, Queen Mother Nana Yaa Asuako Ago started a community around the caves of roaring hyaenas or wild dogs (nsakraman or abodom) in 1376 around Kwaaduboomu, a scary deep, dark, and interlocking hilly hideout.

She controlled a conurbated community of farmlands and held her position as Queen Mother Regent until her first son, Nana Asiedu Papakesee I, reached adult suffrage in 1432. In pursuit of forming an empire, villages attacked villages.

Weaker communities joined stronger communities in that fashion. Known and feared communities dragged their captives to join in conquering other harder communities, thereby expanding their territories and stamping their traditional rule. Relative to the expansionism pursued by organized warriors retreating from the Old Ghana Empire, Omanhene Nana Asiedu Papakesee I created seven strong regiments of military defense for Abodom.

The Abodom community engaged these organized Asante warriors six times and defeated them in all straight six times in all successive Abodom paramount chiefs from 1645 through the 1700s until 1875, the period when all hostilities receded.

The disintegration of the Old Ghana Empire under Emperor Mansa Musa Kankan suffered a heavy defeat from the Old Sudanese Empire under Emperor Sunde-Atta Keita. The entire Old Ghana Empire population drained southward into present-day Ghana. As they traveled, they met already established communities such as the Kyerepongs in the Akuapim ranges and Nigerian fishing nomads on the coast in present-day Ga lands stretching far eastwards beyond Afadjato mountains to Badagry in Nigeria.

Another established community was Abodom at present-day Konongo. The Abodom to Konongo name change became necessary in the “Kor-Nnom-Ngo” (palm-oil drinking orgy) lyrical syllables under Nana Kwame Sarfo (Nana Kwame Nimo) in 1891. Konongo developed through working with people with a policy of beckoning whoever needed self-improvement.

Many people traveled from far to settle at Konongo. Visitors continuously came in, settled in quickly, and made their families in this peaceful milieu. Asanteman did not exist during the great trek from the Old Ghana Empire.

However, they had their movement southward in a strong clan identity formation like Adanse, Oyoko, Aduana, Asenie, Bretuo, and so forth with a high affinity of bonding in both intra-clan and inter-clan negotiations with a high ability of communal resolutions.

But, Abodom was an established community of homogenous Asona Clan of people stretching from River Hwereso (south of present-day Kumasi) through the fringes of River Anunu and covering Bomiriso, Odumase, Obogu, Banso, Juaso, Yaw Kwei, Nyabo, Patriensa, Perkyerekye, Obenemasi, Atunso, and Kyekyewere.

For records purposes, more recently, on the 23rd day of February 1954, the Gold Coast Law Review report on Land Court held at Kumasi (M.P. 662/10), the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Konongo over the statutory demarcations listed above. The colonial administrator in 1929, Sir Francis Fuller also rectified and reiterated that those Juaben claimed lands belonged to Konongo and NOT Juaben.

In addition, all the four consecutive Juaben Chiefs in succession had erred—Kofi Boateng, Otuo Serebuor I, Yaw Sarpong, and Otuo Serebuor II from 1907, 1910, 1917, 1929, through 1954, 1958, 1983 (a classical ruling of 1983: Konongohene Kwadwo Boampong versus Juabenhene Otuo Serebuor II [1981] GLR 927-943) to 2009 under Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti II—in their claim of Konongo stool lands.

This is circumstantial evidence confirming the jurisdictional boundaries for Konongo. Records must be set straight! Juabenman and Juabenhene must be extremely careful. Konongo is different today!

Asante territorial expansionism started in a light village skirmish under Kwaaman (Kumasi) Chief, Kobia Amanfi, and intensified under his nephew Obiri Yeboah. By the time of Osei Tutu I (circa 1640), the urgent need for a united whole that had existed throughout their 800-years of Old Ghana Empire era had been reinvigorated with an urgent appeal to create their own Asante Empire again.

With the prophesies made by Okomfuo Anokye, King Osei Tutu I pursued that errand. King Opoku Ware, I succeeded Osei Tutu I and expanded and held onto the projected Asante territorial integrity. Nana Bra Akyamfuo, Akwasi Gyinaye, Amo Kusi, Kwame Marfo, and Kwadwo Agyapong suffered most of the onslaught of the Asante warring tyranny. Otumfuo Opoku Ware I was very ruthless and demarcated the map of present-day Ghana with the landmarks where he fought and conquered.

Opoku Ware, I was more focused on conquering every tribe along the trading pathway to gain access to the coastline. The strategic war machinery set by predecessor Asiedu Papakesee I assisted successors Bra Akyamfuor and Akwasi Gyinaye. Bra Akyamfuor fought very hard and defeated the enemy forces two consecutive times.

But he became incapacitated so his brother, Akwasi Gyinaye, asked him to step down and he took over the leadership. Nana Akwasi Gyinaye was so dynamic and skillful in war strategies that he got a standing ovation several times.

He got elected for three straight terms and defeated the enemy warriors for three straight consecutive times. He died of exhaustion and Nana Amo Kusi (1679–1760) took over and engaged the Asante warriors. It was during part of Osei Tutu I and the whole of Opoku Ware I reign (1720–1750) and died under Kwasi Obodum (1750–1764). Prior to the sixth encounter, Nana Amo Kusi consulted the Tano Shrine.

The fetish priest advised Abodom to fetch water and pour it on ensomre (a medicinal herb) into a pot and place it on the outskirts of the town. If the water turned fresh after three days, that will be a sign of a win. However, should it have remained dirty, there would have been total defeat.

Truly, having done as they were told, they nearly won the war. While in pursuit of the Asante warriors, the Abodom defence forces sighted the retreating Asante warriors crossing River Anunu, but they were short of ammunitions. The Asante warriors managed to escape.

The Asante hostilities never ended. The Asantes needed to capture Abodom to own the present-day Asante Akyem corridor. So, they prepared heavily with a standby reinforced regiment at a mercenary post at Dwaben for the impending war. The seventh encounter daunted Abodom and Amo Kusi disoriented. He exclaimed to his elders: No! I cannot continue fighting the Asantes anymore.

I am losing my young men! Some of his warriors carried him in his palanquin and paramount umbrella and came to sit under a shady tree on the outskirts of the town around River Hwereso. He erected a white flag in a large coronation park or opening signaling his readiness to broker peace with the Asante warriors. When the Asante soldiers reached where Nana Amo Kusi sat, they saw him with the peace-setting white cloth.

The Asante warlord, Dwaben Amoampong, leading the operations to attack Abodom, saw him alone dressed in his ornamental Kente cloth with open hands raised up and beckoning to welcome them. The war criminal, Dwaben Amoampong, opened fire at peaceful Nana Amo Kusi and hit his forehead with several bullets and Amo Kusi died instantly.

At war, the slightest mistake can cause heavy damage. You don’t seek peace with warriors on the ground operations. Rather, you do so with their Chiefs of a similar or comparable category of leadership. Dwaben Amoampong forgot to behead his victim and instead pulled a white cloth from his hanging war sack and hurriedly blotted the blood oozing from the forehead of Amo Kusi and runaway to declare winner over Konongo-Abodom.

Unfortunately, Dwaben Amoampong had to travel 40-days on foot and did not reach Kumasi to announce his great deed and died miserably of smallpox on his way. The Asantes couldn’t know the realities on the ground because their messengers couldn’t return home with a confirmed report of defeat. Abodom remained an undefeated community!

Having their Chief murdered in a firing squad style, Abodom’s peace strategy ended instantly and Abodom Krontihene (war chief) Nana Yaw Twumasi returned fire on the Asante warriors and killed all the warriors following Dwaben Amoampong. That scared the rest hiding in trees and crevices and they also scattered running away and giving Krontihene Twumasi and his men time to retreat.

Together with some followers, the Abodom soldiers beefed up Abodomhemaa (Queen Mother of Abodom) and took their black stools, umbrellas, ornaments of gold and diamonds, the Silver Stool, and other precious stones and fled.

They crossed River Pra to Akyem in the Eastern Region of present-day Ghana. The Konongo-Abodom people selected Kusi near Oda because there is a connection between the two towns. The Omanhene of Akyem Oda married twin girls from Konongo-Abodom Royal Family.

So, when they came under severe attacks to the extent of losing their Chief, they quickly sought refuge from the Omanhene of Oda. The Omanhene of Oda prepared a special place under constant surveillance to protect the retreating Konongo-Abodom refugees.

He gave them a large land southwest of Kusi near Oda and called it Abodom in remembrance of Asante-Abodom. Today, Konongo Asona Royal Family elects qualified members to become Akyem Kotoku Abodom Chiefs. After the cold-blooded murder of Amo Kusi, Abodom enstooled Kwame Marfo (1760–1778) to the throne to take on the Asantes. This was where the royal bloodline detoured slightly.

Borderline skirmishes with the Asante villages like Kumawu ensued. Kwame Marfo was filled with cowardice and scared of a similar fate with Nana Amo Kusi befalling him.

The Asante Chief Negotiator (or Asantehene) invited Nana Kwame Marfo to a negotiating table and charged Abodom “predwan aduasa” (30x8) = £240 British pounds sterling as titodee or apiatowor for losing Asante men over the long war with the Abodom and that will broker peace and cessation of all hostilities against Abodom. The Chief Negotiator assigned Abodom to a mercenary war post of only three huts, later known as dwaben nkuraasa, to see to the full payment of the war charges.

The Juaben Mercenary War Post

The Dwaben (Juaben) mercenary war post was a special regiment selected from tall and strong men of the northern extremities, predominantly of the Moshie-Dagwani tribes, as mercenaries for special operations occupying three structures built by the Asante leader on Abodom stool land. Built-in the 1400s, Kwaamanhene Nana Kobia Amanfi got frustrated about the recalcitrance of Abodom proving difficult to have free access to the southern pass.

The head of the warriors who attacked Abodom were referred to as Dwaben by their first names before their last names, e.g. Dwaben Amoampong, Dwaben Akrasi, Dwaben Osei Ahwiree, Dwaben Kofi Boateng, Dwaben Otuo Serebuor, etc., and they all lost the war to Abodom.

The titodee or apiatowor was a presumed debt owed to the supposedly Asantehene representing Asanteman at that time and NOT Juaben (ya dwa ma n’abene, Dwaben!). It was King Osei Tutu I (who first unified the clan groups into Asante) in the 1600s and initiated the Kotoko Council Governing structure that brought about the Abremponfuo (Dukes: Dwaben, Bekwai, Nsuta, Mampong, and Kumawu) and the Nsafohene. Dwaben became instrumental to the ground operations in Asante warfare because of the special operative duties initiated from the Abodom stool land.

While the Abremponfuo are the Provincial Chiefs wielding power to the extent of overthrowing even the Asante King, the Nsafohene are the local Kumasi Chiefs (Nananom Ntrakonwafuo: Oyokohene, Gyaasehene, Adontenhene, Nifahene, Sanaahene, Krontihene, Kyidomhene, Benkumhene, Twafuohene, Akwamuhene, etc.) who manage the day-to-day affairs of the entire Asante Confederacy with the King.

Because of this anomaly, there is constant internal division among the Abremponfuo and the Nsafohene, especially with Juabenhene. In 1740, Opoku Ware I pursued strategic governance of both domestic and foreign policy upon which his administration followed to materialize the Asante Kingdom’s expansionist rule.

His foreign policy of gaining more lands under Asante’s control was sophisticated and laudable. However, his domestic policy, which was supposed to have designed internal alignment to create strong security to support his foreign policy stalled.

One key fact that the successive Asante kings repeatedly seemed to forget quickly on the assumption of power was not acknowledging to accept that the Asante Confederacy hanged on the collective agreement of key players who mattered in the formation of the Confederacy.

Nana Opoku Ware, I structured his government around Nsafohene and Abremponfuo and sidetracked on his Abremponfuo quadrant alone leaving the Nsafohene in the cold. Opoku Ware, I got frustrated with the Nsafohene because whenever he needed to use the Nsafohene for his gains, politicians poked in to set his strategic pathway hard to pursue.

For example, in his campaign to defeat the Akyems, Opoku Ware I used his Abremponfuo team alone which were: Dwaben Osei Ahwiree, Nsuta Amankwaatia, Mampong Owusu Sekyere, Kumawu Basewa, Opoku of Bekwai, and Kokofu Brayi and abandoned the Nsafohene completely.

He declared these Abremponfuo as his war generals. In other campaigns in Krakye, Atebubu, and Dagomba, the Abremponfuo generals were made Governors of these conquered tribes: Dwaben Akrasi as Provincial Governor of Krakye and Nnamonsi, Koranteng Pete II for Yanne-Yendi, Mampong’s Owusu Sekyere for Krepi and Nta, and Nsuta Amankwaatia as Governor of Oduraman.

Clearly, there is nowhere in history where any Asante king assigned governors to rule Abodom. Clear evidence throws Juaben’s claims away from owning Konongo-Abodom. The ostracism strategic design against Nsafohene was a very terrible personal vendetta that had earlier destroyed his immediate predecessor, Osei Tutu I, governing the constitution!

The Nsafohene became extremely upset and showed discontent that quickly grew into rebellion. In 1745, led by Kumasi Gyaasehene, the Nsafohene revolted and attacked Manhyia. Opoku Ware, I fled from the capital and drove off crossing the frontiers of Kumasi. Of all his Provincial Abremponfuo generals, he trusted Dwaben the most and took refuge at the Juaben war post on Abodom stool land for protection.

Dwaben appeared to be influential militarily and politically so Dwaben Akrasi mobilized the strong and tall men at the mercenary war post to return the fugitive Asantehene to his post as Asante King whose monarchical position must be restored and secured. The Gyaasehene stronghold compromised on their stance got weakened and Opoku Ware I forces quickly took positions and the King returned to continue his expansionist warfare.

The Abremponfuo-Nsafohene feud is a serious governing structure affecting successive Asante kings following its architect, King Osei Tutu I until today under King Osei Tutu II. It was King Opoku Ware II, who opened up the Nsafohene quadrant to create succession involving all Asante Chiefs to play roles in Asante strategic Government.

For example, during his rule between 1970 and 1999, King Opoku Ware II included several Asante chiefs in the hierarchy of Nsafohene. My father Praasohene Nana Kofi Adu Asabere was aligned in the fourth position of the Gyaasehene stool of the Kumasi hierarchy under Sawiahene Nana Adusei in 1970. This eliminated alienation and brought a sense of belongingness and actualization. Also, Nana Opoku Ware Katakyie increased his Abremponfuo quadrant as well with several Amanhene to neutralize hegemonic insomnia generally presumed innately in the Dukes, especially Juabenhene.

King Opoku Ware, I died of a stroke after reign for 30 years in 1750 and he was succeeded by Kwasi Obodum (1750–1764). Nana Kwasi Obodum abandoned the Abremponfuo faction and concentrated more on Nsafohene instead, primarily because he was more focused on building internal cohesion, security, and peace. His assumption of power was marred by several dead bodies sprawling on Kumasi streets in Opoku Ware I final days on the seat and Nana Obodum wanted sanitation as his top priority. Nana Kwasi Obodum's reign had no significant memory in Asante history.

He was old and feeble-minded that dubbed his time on the throne as 14 barren years in Asante royal history until King Osei Kwadwo (1764–1777) took over. Nana Osei Kwadwo also spent 13 years on the throne with no significant achievement. Seemingly, successive Asante Kings after Opoku Ware I had become relaxed because Asante had already grown into a big kingdom. Opoku Ware, I had done a great deal of fighting to enlarge Kumasi into a kingdom, and amassed wealth that could fill the royal treasury at the time for Asante, as well as slaves to serve Asante's domestic needs.

The Asante kings after Opoku Ware I were largely complacent and amassing large wealth from Opoku Ware I hard work for their own personal and family use until King Osei Kwame (1777–1799) ascended to the throne. Nana Osei Kwame met a plethora of violent revolts and vowed to have the heads of the revolting Chiefs. King Osei Kwame set out to negotiate with Abodommanhene Nana Kwame Marfo. On his return from the negotiations, Nana Kwame Marfo narrated his discussions and agreement negotiated with the Asantes on behalf of Abodom.

He went on to exclaim: Oh No! I don’t have followers (edom) so I can’t rule Abodom any longer. Let’s slaughter sheep and make peace with the Asantes! The people of Abodom became extremely furious and bitter for negotiating them into debt of 30 predwan without their consent and permission.

Abodom people started pouncing on their own Chief Kwame Marfo and beat him mercilessly in shame and they threw him outside the outskirts of the town and left him to die. He gathered strength later and runaway to Akyem Kotoku Abodom to join the group that had gone there earlier.

King Osei Kwame also became notorious for following women. The Nsafohene revolts that bedeviled Opoku Ware I reign affected Osei Kwame as well. The king followed a charming lady at the Dwaben war post called Agyei Badua or Gyanwa, of which Juabenhene used as a political trap to torment Kumasi in its long feud with Dwaben. Osei Kwame would go for hiding at Dwaben for a whole year in love affairs with an “inferior mercenary post girl” abandoning his duties in Kumasi. Because of this behavior, he had a fond for developing tough bodyguards for his security at Manhyia.

When Osei Kwame was still in his self-imposed exotic exile at the Juaben war post, the Nsafohene sent two heavily armed generals (Apea Dankwa and Koranteng Pete) with their brigades to Juaben to arrest and destool King Osei Kwame. On their arrival at Juaben, the king’s bodyguards tried defence, but Osei Kwame seeing the generals and their men, stopped his bodyguards against carnage and mass killings, and possible destruction of Juaben.

He was destooled immediately and King Opoku Fofie succeeded him, who also resigned in 60-days. Abodom found relative peace during the merry-go-round Asante royal feast after King Opoku Ware I until King Osei Bonsu (1800–1824) took over.

The long resting period stretched over 50 years (1750–1800). Abodom quickly enstooled a highly radical Chief, Nana Kwadwo Agyapong (1778–1875), who led the revolt and mutiny to overthrow Kwame Marfo and beat him up. Nana Kwadwo Agyapong’s reign run concurrently with yet another set of ruthless Asante kings from Osei Bonsu (1800–1824) through Osei Yaw Akoto (1824–1838), Kwaku Dua I (1838–1867) to Kofi Karikari (1867–1874).

In the face of the odds, Kwadwo Agyapong refused outright payment of Asante charges and mobilized the young and burning military forces to resume war with the Asantes. Abodom destroyed the Juaben debt collection post.

The fully installed Asantehene King Kofi Karikari, who was working to unite the layback Kumasi and the Asante Kingdom, ordered to besiege Konongo-Abodom. Nana Kwadwo Agyapong called for reinforcement from the Omanhene of Oda, Nana Atafuah. As Abodom was making preparation for a showdown in the eighth encounter of counter hostilities, the 1873–1874 Sir Garnett Wolsely (Sagrenti) war started and the Asantes needed everyone to help.

Kofi Karikari’s attention was shifted completely from inner squabbles into grand warfare and the fee (apiatowor or titodee) in question disappeared from our Asante warfare.

Prior to the Sagrenti war, Osei Bonsu met insurrectionism from the coastal chiefs and used the Asante war machinery laid down by King Opoku Ware I. The battle of Nsamankaw (1824), the concurrent battles of Akatamansu and Dodowa (1826) and the invasion of Cape Coast drew the attention of the British Protectorate Government over these defeated tribes. Asante had initial hot exchanges with the British in Cape Coast.

By the time of the Sagrenti war, the British were certain to take on the Asante warring tyranny. The Asantes abandoned their wars with Abodom and the apiatowor was ultimately relegated into perpetual oblivion and disappeared from demands on Asante war charges. Konongo-Abodom mobilized the entire Asante Akyem communities to join forces with Asanteman to fight our common enemy, the British forces.

The destroyed Juaben war post and scattered warlords regrouped and joined hands with Konongo-Abodom to fight the British war. King Kofi Karikari began his mobilization for 40,000 strong Asante forces to match the Sagrenti war forces.

The Abremponfuo generals were the frontline Chiefs with privileges deserving to provide defence for Asante. Dwaben boasted of providing the inexistent 50,000 warriors with additional 6,000 guns with enough gun powder, but Dwaben would not willingly take part in the war and disappeared from the frontline.

That war post was specifically created as a contingency or Adhoc location as needed, controlled by the Asantehene largely for royal retreats and sex orgy as happened with Osei Kwame. The Juaben mercenary war post was worthless because it was unequipped to handle classical warfare with Konongo-Abodom.

Significant gains from Juaben Chiefs in the Asante wars were those Juaben had to manage after Mampong, Kumawu, and Nsuta Dukes had paved the way for smoother after-war services. The land that the modern-day Juaben occupies belongs to Konongo.

Juaben never existed as a developed community. As a mercenary war post with warlords and their spouses, the commander of the post rushed to Omanhene of Abodom to protect his pregnant sister for him while he jumped into the thick forest to engage with the British forces. Juaben Serwaa delivered a baby boy at Abodommanhene palace and the Abodommanhene Nana Kwadwo Agyapong’s wife conducted the midwifery services for Juaben Serwaa using baha—the soft frond of a dried plantain stem.

The Sagrenti war spilled over to Konongo-Abodom and the Chief and his closest Royal Family again sought protection at Akyem Kotoku Abodom. On their way, they requested Juaso Chief to provide safekeeping for Juaben Serwaa and her newly born baby and return them to the family after the war. The frontline Asante sub-chiefs abdicated their duties and ran away from the war front and exposed the King and the Golden Stool to the enemy British forces.

Juaben war post team, supposed to form Asanteman Krontihene (war chief), went into hiding in the thick-forested Asante villages until the war ended. The fugitive Juaben warlords returned from their hideouts declaring Abodom and Juaso as their conquered territories, a price paid for the protection of Juaben Serwaa.

Such a callous and narcissistic sentimentalist attitude of dishonest Juaben desperados! After the war, Juaben tried every desperate move to remain in space. As a destitute in a rugged environment, the stranger needed to amass wealth and use foul means to acquire land by hook or crook.

Juaben could not expand northwards because it would have crushed both Kumawu and Asokore-Mampong. It did not have the chance eastwards because it would have had terrible extermination from Yaa Asantewaa’s Ejisu-Besease traditional area or Fomesua. Its southwest corridor opened a slight aperture to take advantage.

How did Juaben become a creditor to Abodom and Abodom becoming a debtor to Juaben and eventually owner of Konongo? Interestingly, all successive occupants of the Juaben stool have erroneously used the apiatowor and baha interchangeably to claim ownership of the land they have forced themselves to occupy without rent payments. Konongo-Abodom has never been known, in the history of man, to have gone to war with Juaben to the extent of offering Juaben any ownership status.

Nana Kwadwo Agyapong vowed over his dead body to make any payment to the Asantes let alone Juaben. The successive Paramount Chiefs following Nana Kwadwo Agyapong remained adamant and maintained that Abodom culture and tradition of non-payment in resentment to any Asante debt collectors till today.

It is the Konongo-Abodom non-payment tradition and culture that Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti II scared Juabenhene Otuo Serebuor II so much into personal hatred between the two. Konongo-Abodom neither owes nor swears any oath of allegiance to Juaben. Juaben is illegally occupying Konongo-Abodom stool lands. Abodom swears “kwadu twum obonso ne atakum” and NOT Asantehene ntamkesie.

After the Sagrenti war, Asante fell into complete anarchy from Osei Mensa Bonsu (1874–1883) through Kwaku Dua II (who died in 44-days after installment as king in 1884) to Osei Agyemang Prempeh I (1888–1896). Additionally, Juaben’s recalcitrance, deliberate infringing on Asante affairs, specifically ridiculing Asanteman over Osei Kwame-Gyanwa love affairs, and deception over abandoning the Sagrenti warfront forced Asante attacks on Juaben in 1875.

The Juabens were defeated and they run away to Akyem Abuakwa to seek sanctuary from Omanhene of Akyem Abuakwa of the Oyoko Royal Family and found one at New Juaben in Koforidua in the Eastern Region. The Juabens regrouped and requested for forgiveness from the Asante King who accepted their request and payment of fines and returned the refugees to Juaben. The Asantehene handed Juaben back to the new Chief Asafo Agyei in 1896. Juaben Akwasi Boateng succeeded Asafo Agyei, followed by Kofi Boateng, Otuo Serebuor I, Yaw Sarpong, and to Otuo Serebuor II.

None of these Chiefs ever dreamt of going to war with Konongo. Given this backdrop, at what point in history did Juaben become the owner of Konongo-Abodom? Konongo was under Nana Kwaa Nimo in 1896 and was already geared towards industrial development. If Abodom Chiefs, Nana Kwame Marfo and Nana Kwadwo Agyapong had, initiated any form of payment towards the 30 predwan, Konongo-Abodom would have conceded defeat and hence the lawful charges of those demands from the Asantes.

Abodom maintained its Omanhene status and refused to pay any royalties similar to those born out of the Sagrenti war charges the Asantes made to the British Monarchy. Omanhene of Konongo-Abodom owes nothing to Asanteman, let alone the inexistent Juaben in any prehistoric nation-building era.

After Nana Kwadwo Agyapong took refuge at Akyem Kotoku Abodom, the gold rush made Konongo the pride of Asante Akyem and brought Konongo to the limelight. All the powerful Royal members scattered and the search for the true-blooded Konongo-Abodom royals became a hard commodity.

The Juaben war post occupants got hardened, strategized ways to survive, and eyed the gold deposits in Konongo. Nana Kwame Sarfo (best known as Nana Kwame Nimo) was enstooled as Konongohene (1875–1945). It was in Nana Kwaa Nimo’s reign that Abodom formally changed its name to Konongo in 1891.

It was also during his time that railroad construction was officiated in Konongo and appended his signatures for all Konongo projects, and NOT Juabenhene. Nana Kwaa Nimo also officiated and signed the first commercial gold mining at Konongo Gold Mines Company in 1923. Nana Kwaa Nimo designed and built most of the story buildings in Konongo. However, in the early part of his reign, Nana Kwaa Nimo faced tough rule.

Although the Asante hostilities had receded, there were both natural and physical calamities. There were a plethora of hunger and starvation, stillbirths, guinea worm infestations, smallpox, male impotence, and female barrenness. The people started complaining bitterly and threats of revolt and destoolment with wild accusations were leveled against him.

The Konongo deity, Konongo Apontuah, cried about the wrong people occupying the Konongo-Abodom stool and demanded Nana Kwaa Nimo to travel to Akyem Kotoku Abodom to bring back his rightful Royals home to rule Konongo.

Failing this Konongo will never develop and suffer in subsequent years ahead. It is of no wonder why Konongo has retrograded in development over the longest period of time to the extent of being manipulated by inferior hegemonic midgets!

Nana Kwaa Nimo did exactly as he was told. He immediately built a wooden storey building as Konongo palace with an adjoining shed for the deity, Konongo Apontuah, which still remains at the same spot until today with no improvements of the 18th Century architecture.

However, on bringing them from Akyem Kotoku Abodom, the Chief turned around killing them for fear of losing his grip on the seat because the returnees presented strong, tall, and handsome men. Other narratives also believed that the runaway Royals to Akyem Kotoku Abodom paved the way for falsified entities to run the show.

Historians even doubted the true royalness of Kwaa Nimo himself. The Royal Family destooled him because of those criminal charges. The deity, Konongo Apontuah, became very furious with the deposed Nana Kwaa Nimo and caused him to commit suicide with his own double-barrel hunting gun in his mouth and blew his own head off scattering his brain around the rooms and the hallways.

Born at birth as Kwame Sarfo by Okomfuo Burabe, Kwaa Nimo’s early beginning was fraught with controversies. In the early days, girls who had reached the puberty stage and were being proposed to for marriage needed to be initiated publicly. Puberty-staged girls (usually in their 13–16 years of age) would be dressed in rich white kente cloth with golden ornaments, beads, and white powdered would be brought out in public for viewing and appreciation.

During Nana Kwadwo Agyapong’s era, a young woman, Akua Afra (from the Asona Royal Family?) had a similar public ovation and prepared for her proposed fiancée who had gone to the coast for ator (buy-and-sell business travel). Okomfuo Burabe (the first fetish priest conducting business for the deity, Konongo Apontuah) jumped on the pretty young woman and raped her several times, and impregnated her instantly.

The entire village became obsessed and extremely furious with calls for instant justice by stoning him or beheading him. They grabbed Okomfuo Burabe and incarcerated him in a citizen arrest fashion, and sentenced him by chaining him to a standing tree for three days with no food or drink. If he survived within three days, he will be released.

If he died of thirst and hunger, he will be thrown away. In the olden days, fetish priests were scary and they had more time to prey on the people. Konongo Apontuah became furious with the village and bemoaned for touching its representative.

It turned into a wild lion and jumped into the compound of Abodom royals with indiscriminate killings of men and women. They quickly sought an explanation from several deities and they were told to release the fetish priest from chains before losing everyone in Abodom. They quickly did as they were instructed and instantly the wild lion disappeared. The outcome of that despicable rape case was Kwame Sarfo.

He was ridiculed as Kwame Sarfo “nimohunu” (from a rapist fetish father) and gained another befitting name, “Kwame Nimo.” Apparently, his nickname became fondly and more favourable in Konongo folklore than his actual name, Kwame Sarfo. Akua Afra later got married formerly and had two other sons and a daughter making four children altogether. They were: Kwame Sarfo (Kwaa Nimo), Kwame Atorbra, Kwadwo Maagyan and Akua Addae. None of his brother were ever considered worth Konongohene to be installed.

The Maagyan Stool: Particularly interesting about Akua Afra’s quadrant of the family was Kwadwo Maagyan. A story told about Maagyan was that he became extremely rich dealing in gold products. He had high profile customer base and earned huge income.

One of his clients was Juabenhene Nana Kofi Boateng. Maagyan fell sick and had difficulties to even walk and became paralyzed. Interestingly, his own family narratives state that his family members neglected him, so he confided in his best customer, Juabenhene Nana Kofi Boateng, and requested for his befitting royal funeral when he dies and in return, Maagyan willed all his assets, including his washing bucket, to the ownership of Juabenhene Nana Kofi Boateng.

When Maagyan died, Juabenhene came to Konongo and did exactly as it was stated on the will document. Juabenhene Nana Kofi Boateng requested Konongohene Nana Kwame Sarfo (Kwaa Nimo) to create Maagyan Stool in remembrance of his friend and business partner in the Konongo Asona Royal Family so that whoever mounted on the Maagyan Stool can also automatically become Konongohene. As a full-blooded brother and equally a royal, Nana Kwaa Nimo did exactly as it was requested by Juabenhene Kofi Boateng.

Nana Kwaa Nimo went down in history to have married several wives and had 47 children before his own suicidal death in 1947. At the time of publishing this book, only one of his 47 children was still alive, a 108th-year-old Opanin Kwaku Bio. Opanin Bio assisted in narrating certain parts of this book. Regardless of his despicable background report, Nana Kwaa Nimo set record performance for chiefs following his tenure to use as a yardstick to measure their own performance or to beat the standards.

Konongo enstooled Nana Akwasi Dwomo to continue Nana Kwaa Nimo’s good works. As a returnee from Akyem Kotoku Abodom (per Konongo Apontuah’s order), Nana Akwasi Dwomo brought fundamental peace to Konongo, but his kind of peace did not hold. The young Chief Akwasi Dwomo was tall and very handsome, but he was too playful and had spells of showoff to girls. He was destooled in 1951.

He quickly went to Akyem Kotoku Abodom and secured the seat there. He was succeeded by Nana Kwabena Abedimisa I. Nana Abedimisa I presented a mediocre performance and he was destooled immediately without any significant achievement.

Although Konongo Apontuah had made some corrections about the lineage, remnants of the infiltrated entities remained. There were doubts of his royalness in the Konongo Gates.

Narratives about Abedimisa state that he was called upon to visit Manhyia palace with two other chiefs in Asante to present his case before Asanteman in a grand gathering for Konongo as to why Konongohene should be accorded the Omanhene status that Konongo has been fighting for.

Nana Abedimisa I decided to host a liquor drinking session before honouring the invitation. He attended the occasion heavily drunk and presented his case in a stupor that: he did not deserve the title because he was drunk and the crowd present there burst into laughter.

The other two chiefs achieved their Omanhene award except Konongohene Kwabena Abedimisa I, who left in shame and embarrassment. Nana Abedimisa I was destooled immediately without any achievement. Nana Koor Sekyere and Nana Akwasi Dwomo came back from Akyem Kotoku Abodom to contest for the “Nana Kwaa Nimo seat” again. When campaigning for his second coming, Nana Akwasi Dwomo cited the mediocre performance of Kwabena Abedimisa I and demanded excellent performance next time round and won for the second time as Konongohene.

Nana Kwadwo Sekyere lost to Nana Akwasi Dwomo, but Nana Koor Sekyere went back to Akyem Kotoku Abodom to secure the other seat as Akyem Kotoku Abodomhene. Nana Koor Sekyere picked up poor health, destooled himself, and returned to Konongo to die home. Nana Akwasi Dwomo also stepped down and died later in poor health at Konongo.

Nana Isaac Akyampong, a devoted Christian in Roman Catholic Church at Konongo took the challenge. He promised to bring more peace to Konongo, but he couldn’t match the Konongo Asona Royal Family litigants. He ruled for only 40-days—the shortest time in any known history of traditional leadership after Asante kings Opoku Fofie (60-days) and Kwaku Dua II (44-days).

Nana Yaw Kyei II, known in private life as Nana Yaw Opuni succeeded Nana Isaac. He was admirably handsome and gained popularity as an admirable trumpeter (Okyei) in the local Konongo Konadu Brass Band. During Nana Yaw Kyei II tenure, another fine chance of securing the Omanhene status for Konongo in the Ghana Republic Day wholesale traditional freedom or amnesty for disputed flashpoints in 1962 Republic Day.

As a policy under President Nkrumah, who enacted a state order to donate Omanhene statuses for traditional councils, Nana Yaw Kyei II received that facelift. However, on traveling to Accra to receive this honour, Juabenhemaa, a staunch Convention Peoples Party (CPP) member, pulled up, rolled on the ground, and begged President Nkrumah to rescind the decision on Konongohene’s award because uplifting Konongo to Omanhene status will render Juabenman destitute and they needed to survive on Konongo.

Nana Yaw Kyei II, like Nana Kwame Marfo in the 30 predwan dispute, and Kwabena Abedimisa I’s drunkenness, negotiated for personal income and a present of Awudome estate building, where children of Nana Yaw Kyei II continue to reside until today.

Nana Yaw Opuni (Okyei II) also picked up poor health possibly on the account of mesothelioma cancer from brass fumes affecting cells on his throat generating uncontrollable coughs (presumed to be tuberculosis or emphysema) and he was offered a step down or destoolment. He was forced to choose a step down in 1963.

Okyei’s younger brother, Nana Kwadwo Boampong, an executive administrator in colonial Government, a businessman in cocoa purchases and sales, and a graduate from Akyem Oda Government School took the leadership challenge in 1963. Nana Kwadwo Boampong raised the chieftaincy bar very high at Konongo. He brought hydroelectricity to Konongo for the first time ever. He also negotiated to move the District Administration from Juaso to Konongo and made Konongo the capital of the whole Asante Akyem District.

The entire Asante Akyem district expands beyond Agogo in the Afram Plains—a possibility of regional authority—holds a huge natural endowment. Nana Boampong also helped to establish food and agriculture (FA) training center.

Together with the flourishing Gold Mines, Nana Boampong capitalized on the District Administration Headquarters at Konongo to increase the employment of Konongo citizens. Nana Boampong followed up with the completion of Konongo-Odumase Secondary School which had started in 1962 under his predecessor Nana Yaw Kyei II, and also brought Konongo Teacher Training College.

He used the Asante stronghold of the Busia Government to improve on new streets design, feeder roads, pipe-borne clean drinking water, and affordable homes (low-cost) to Konongo. Nana Kwadwo Boampong picked on and started engaging the fully-fledged Juaben township and self-style Omanhene of its own Juaben state and its illegal encroachment into Konongo stool lands.

On record, Nana Kwadwo Boampong rates superior to Nana Kwaa Nimo regarding infrastructural development. However, Nana Boampong stubbornly refused to take counsel to stop Juaben’s visits so that he doesn’t dignify Juaben, rather he did the opposite and followed his travels to Juaben.

In one of his encounters with his own Konongo Asona Royal Family members over destoolment, led by Nana Atorbra Amakye and engineered by Juabenhene Nana Otuo Serebuor II, Nana Kwadwo Boampong was forced to destool himself in 1972 at Juaben palace.

It all started with Nana Boampong dismissing Kyidomhene Kwadwo Baah, a sub-chief under Nana Boampong. Nana Koor Baah, a direct brother to Nana Kwabena Abedimisa l of the Manhyia liquor stupor, was convicted of theft for stealing a sheep. Nana Boampong decided that it was inappropriate for a chief who was supposed to have shown exemplary life to the citizenry.

Koor Baah got fired immediately and picked up Nana Kwame Boappiah a descendant of the returnees from Akyem Kotoku Abodom as Maagyanhene elect. Koor Baah got pissed off and yelled at his boss to have brought in a slave. Nana Atorbra Amakye picked it up from a more vindictive line and condoned and connived with Juabenhene Otuo Serebuor II to destool Nana Boampong.

Nana Boampong added stool land cases with Juabenhene Otuo Serebuor