MANKESSIM MURDER: Stop Holding Yourself As Chief, Ebusuapanyin Of Nana Clarke Missing At Press Briefing

The Chief and Elders of Akwakrom in the Ekumfi District have showed displeasure over false reportage following the murder of an aspiring trainee nurse, Georgina Asor Botchwey who was buried in Christopher Ekow Clarke Quansah's house at Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.

Nana Akwa III, the chief of Akwakrom said, the residents of Akwakrom stress over Opanyin Kwesi Gyan, affectionately called Oboa Kwan, the Ebusuapanyin of Nana Clarke's nonattendance at the gathering.

Speaking at a press briefing, Nana Akwa III, lamented that, several attempts made in reaching Oboa Kwan proved futile, adding that he only responds to unknown numbers but he always fails to disclose his hide out.

He noted that Nana Clarke they know does not go all over looking exceptionally dressed making an honest effort holding himself as a chief since his reign in almost 4-years.

"...Nana Clarke as we know him does not rob as a chief since my installation in 2019. Nana Akwa III added that Nana Clarke cannot rob as a chief before him because I (Nana Akwa III) would not allow him and he knows it"

Nana Akwa III showed members of the press present the stools in his Palace and noted that "everybody can see that there is no vacant stool meant for Akwakrom Tufuhen." The chief stressed that "there is only one Palace in Akwakrom and Nana Clark has no Palace in Akwakrom as being reported by some media house."

Nana Akwa III explained that since his installation, his predecessor informed him that he has not performed any customary rites to present Nana Clarke to the Omanhen of Ekumfi Traditional Council to be accepted as Tufuhen of Akwakrom. He added that when he assumed office as the chief of Akwakrom in 2019, he has been asked to present a list of his subchiefs and elders to the Traditional Council but he is yet to do that as he has been undertaking house cleaning. He said, because of the exercise he is undertaking, he has also not presented anybody to the Paramount Chief of Ekumfi Traditional Area as his subchiefs.

Nana Akwa III also stressed that, he remembered that "...representatives of Ekumfi Traditional Council honoured our invitation to the council to attend my predecessor's funeral. When members of the council attended the funeral, the Paramount Chief's linguist informed Nana Clarke that since requisite customary rites have not be performed before the Paramount Chief as custom demands he is not recognised by the deligation when he attempted to welcome them."

He therefore entreats the general public to disregard the photo used in publishing the identity of the said Nana Clarke as a Chief of Akwakrom. He said, the picture appears to be an old picture which has no bearing on the Akwakrom stool. He recalled how the same Nana Clarke was said to be the chief of Akwakrom and was known in Mankessim as wielding all the authority of Akwakrom stool. However, when he Nana Akwa III was enstooled as chief of Akwakrom and road in his palanqin through his town, people got to know that Nana Clarke was not the chief of Akwakrom.

Nana Akwa III threw more light on the composition of his stool. He said that he ruled his town with elders from various towns. He mentioned the names of one Obatan Kojo Dodoo who he said came from Narkwa. Nana Kwa III mentioned Nana Essel as another elder of the stool who hails from Abeka all in Ekumfi Traditional Area. When it got to Nana Clarke who is one of the accused in the murder case, Nana Akwa III stated that Nana Clarke is from Ekumfi Immuna and has more of his family members living in Mankessim and Immuna than in Akwakrom.

He said, he cannot do the job for the prosecution and will desist from commenting on the facts of the case but he would want to prompt the police to seek answers to the following questions on videos of the family house of the said Nana Clarke shown by various news outlets which Nana Akwa III learnt was visited by the police when they mounted a search for the deceased:

He said for the time being, all members of his council of elders are referred to as Nana but are not allowed to sit on a stool or dress as a chief. He added that members of his council perform functions reserved for his subchiefs who are yet to be installed by him. Hence Nana Clarke took upon himself the name Tufuhen giving his role in the town. Nana advised members of the press to verify from the Traditional Council if the said Nana Clarke has been presented before the Paramount Chief of Ekumfi Traditional Council whether he or his predecessors have performed any customary rite before the Paramount Chief concluding rites to make the said Nana Clarke Tufuhen of Akwakrom.

See the photo below:

Nana Clarke

The chief of Akwakrom therefore admonished Ghanaian media to be circumspect in their reportage and only publish information to the public after thorough checks have been made.

Nana Akwa III further advised that, the media should have waited till the state concludes its investigations before wading into reporting the facts of the case as it is only the facts of the case as presented by the prosecution or the Attorney General is what becomes the facts of the case before trial begins. But giving the diverse reportage, there are so many conflicting facts on the airwaves which is not helpful.

1. He learnt that the family head of Nana Clarke was in his family house when the police came there to look for the deceased, where is the said family head?

2. He learnt that two dug out holes were discovered in Nana Clarke's family house and another at the back of the said house within a Plaintiff farm, can the family head be made to explain what these holes were meant for?

3. He learnt that Nana Clarke sought refuge in a herbalist's house on one of Akwakrom hills when the mortal remains of the deceased was uncovered, can the herbalist be questioned about the nature of his work and his relationship with the said Nana Clarke.

4. He said, he learnt the said Nana Clarke allegedly called one of his brothers to pick him up from his hide out but dreading that they will all be arrested, they called the police to pick him up. He requests that if possible, the brother of Nana Clarke should be investigated for possible connection with the death of the victim in the case.

Nana Akwa III therefore informed the media that the deceased was found in Nana Clarke's House at Mankessim and not Akwakrom hence the media should do well not to link the entire Akwakrom or its stool to the case as he puts it, "we people of Akwakrom Township are hospitable, loyal to the Akwakrom stool, tolerant to various culture diversity within the town and respect everybody's right to life. We therefore condemn any act which seeks to deprive anybody in my Town of his or her life and we disassociate ourselves from the alleged murder."

Nana Akwa III said that what saddened him is when he realised that his much revered subchief's position of Tufuhen is being drugged in the mud. He added that by custom, if one holds the Tufuhen position in Akwakrom, he automatically becomes the Tufuhen of three other towns in Ekumfi Traditional Area hence its reputation should not be soiled by linking Nana Clarke to it. He therefore left it to the public to judge from one of the videos which is in the news showing the arrest of Nana Clarke on one of Akwakrom Hills where the said Nana Clarke was bare footed. He asked if chiefs walk barefooted as Nana Clarke did in the video?

Nana Akwa III, the chief of Akwakrom then ended his press briefing by stating that "...by walking barefooted, Nana Clarke openly confirms his claim that Nana Clarke is not the substantive Tufuhen of Akwakrom and must not be referred to as such by any quarters."

Reaching the Elders of Akwakrom, a farming community in the Ekumfi District also expressed worry over the issue.

Meanwhile, the accused persons, Christopher Ekow Clarke Quansah and Pastor Michael Darko Amponsah carried out the barbaric murder and its consequent burial of Georgina Asor Botchway were put before the Coast Coast District Court 2 presided over by Her Lordship Bernice Mensima Ackon on September 22, 2022.

The two however were charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder contrary to section 46 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act 1980, Act 29, where the prosecutor of the case, DSP Daniel Gadzo pleaded with the court to give them some time to conclude their investigations hence the case's adjournment to October 4, 2022.

See the photos below: