Tradition Cannot Be Shield For Lawlessness – Mfuom Youth Demands Police Action Over Alleged Assault Of Mfuom Chief At Akwasidae

A youth group in the Denkyira Traditional Area has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Ghana Police Service to immediately investigate and act on what it describes as a shocking and unlawful assault on the Chief of Mfuom during today’s Akwasidae celebration in Dunkwa-on-Offin.

The group, calling itself Mfuom Youth 4 Development, in a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, said what reportedly occurred at the Akwasidae grounds cannot be dismissed as a mere chieftaincy or traditional matter to be swept under the rug.

According to the statement, credible accounts and eyewitness reports indicate that the Chief of Mfuom was forcibly removed from his residence by persons allegedly acting on the instructions of the Denkyirahemaa, Nana Ama Ayensua Saara III.

The group further alleges that the chief was dragged through the community, physically assaulted and publicly humiliated, before the Queen Mother herself allegedly struck him in full view of persons gathered for the sacred Akwasidae observance.

If these accounts are authenticated by eyewitness testimony and available video evidence, the group contends, the matter goes far beyond a customary disagreement and enters the realm of criminality.

An Affront To The Constitution

Mfuom Youth 4 Development argued that no individual, regardless of traditional title, political influence or social status, is above the laws of the Republic of Ghana.

The group cited Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees the personal liberty of every person in Ghana, and Article 15, which declares the dignity of every person as inviolable.

It further drew attention to Article 26(2) of the Constitution, which is more directly applicable to attempts to justify dehumanizing conduct in the name of tradition. The said article expressly prohibits all customary practices which dehumanize or are injurious to the physical and mental well-being of a person.

“Traditional authority is worthy of respect, but traditional authority is not sovereign authority above the Constitution,” the statement stressed.

The youth group also referenced Section 84 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which criminalizes unlawful assault, as well as provisions on assault and battery and unlawful imprisonment. According to the group, forcibly touching, striking, restraining or compelling another person against his will cannot acquire legality merely because it occurred at a palace, during Akwasidae, or in connection with a chieftaincy dispute.

The group said the sanctity of Akwasidae makes the allegations even more disturbing, noting that the revered occasion is intended to symbolize reverence for ancestral authority, unity, dignity and continuity, and should never become a theatre for humiliation, intimidation or physical violence.

IGP and Police Must Not Look Away

At the heart of the statement is a direct and emphatic call on the Ghana Police Service to act.

Mfuom Youth 4 Development is urging the IGP, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and the Central Regional Police Commander to immediately commence an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the incident.

The group outlined specific actions it expects the Police to take without delay: obtain and preserve every available video recording of the incident, identify and interview eyewitnesses, obtain a formal statement from the Chief of Mfuom, document any injuries through appropriate medical examination, identify all persons alleged to have entered his residence or participated in transporting, restraining or assaulting him, and take statements from the Denkyirahemaa and every other person whose conduct may be material to the investigation.

Where the evidence establishes reasonable grounds to suspect that any individual committed or participated in a criminal offence, the group said, the Police must exercise their lawful powers of arrest and place that person before a competent court of law.

“There must be one law for every Ghanaian,” the statement declared.

The youth group also expressed concern over what it described as reported statements directed at the IGP and senior police officers regarding alleged police “interference” in chieftaincy matters. It warned that the Ghana Police Service must not be intimidated, undermined or prevented from performing its constitutional responsibility merely because a criminal allegation arises from a traditional setting.

“The Police are not interfering in chieftaincy when they investigate an alleged assault. The Police are not interfering in tradition when they protect a citizen from alleged violence. The Police are not interfering in customary authority when they investigate allegations that a person was forcibly removed from his home, restrained, publicly humiliated or beaten. That is policing. That is the rule of law,” the group stated.

Chieftaincy Dispute vs Criminal Offence

While acknowledging that chieftaincy disputes have appropriate forums for resolution – including Traditional Councils, the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs, and the courts – the group insisted that allegations of criminal violence belong strictly within the criminal justice system.

It warned that failure to investigate promptly and impartially would send a dangerous and far-reaching message that influential traditional figures may exercise powers of punishment outside the courts and beyond the reach of ordinary criminal law.

According to the group, such inaction would undermine public confidence not only in the Ghana Police Service but also in the revered institution of chieftaincy itself.

The statement was, however, careful to note that the Queen Mother, like every person accused of wrongdoing, remains entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process under the laws of Ghana. But, it emphasized, presumption of innocence is not immunity from investigation or lawful arrest where reasonable grounds exist.

The Mfuom Youth 4 Development concluded with a powerful reminder of the supremacy of the Constitution:

“Ghana is governed by a Constitution—not by the unchecked power of any individual. Respect for tradition must never mean surrendering the rule of law. A stool is not a licence to assault. A palace is not beyond the reach of the law. And no traditional title can place its occupant above the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. The law must take its course.”

As at the time of filing this report, the Ghana Police Service and the Office of the Denkyirahemaa had not yet publicly commented on the allegations. Attempts to reach the Central Regional Police Command for a reaction are ongoing.

The Akwasidae festival, which is celebrated every 42 days by Akans to honor ancestors and for purification, was being observed in Dunkwa-on-Offin, the traditional capital of Denkyira, when the alleged incident occurred.