Police foil illegal chief installation at Osenase; Asafo Agyei arrested

The Ghana Police Service has restored calm in Akyem Osenase following escalating tensions in the town over a disputed chieftaincy installation. A video circulating online shows the moment of the arrest with the police shouting “hey hey arrest them” and marching towards Asafo Agyei who was hoisted shoulder high. He then jumps off the shoulders in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the police.

Tensions reached fever pitch when the Okyenhene, through his State Secretary, D. M. Ofori-Atta wrote a letter to the Regional Police informing them of his intention to install “Boakye Asafo Agyei as chief of Osenase”.

The Queen of Osenase together with the Abusuapanin and the principal kingmakers comprising Benkum, Kyidom, Gyaase, Adonten, Abakoma and Amaama fired back with a strongly worded statement insisting “no stool vacancy has been declared” and that “no one has been nominated or approved” by them as the next chief of Osenase and vowing to “resist with every fiber of our being” the attempt by the Okyenhene to “install Boakye Asafo Agyei as Chief of

Osenase in contravention of laid down customs and traditions of Osenase”. They accused Asafo Agyei of not being of “Royal lineage”

In an attempt to calm tensions, the regional police command secured an injunction against the event while the Municipal Chief Executive wrote a letter directly to the Okyenhene and Asafo Agyei, directing that the installation “be suspended indefinitely”.

The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, in direct defiance of the court, police and municipal authorities dispatched his elders led by the Kyebi Abontendomhene, Osabarima Marfo Okwabrane, to Osenase to do the installation. On a tip off of this information, police deployed hundreds of officers in the town to maintain law and order.

When the Abontendomhene and his entourage arrived at Osenase, they were identified by the police at the checkpoint and asked for go back and not enter Osenase at all. In a dramatic turn, the Abontendomhene and his entourage used a bush road to sneak themselves into the Osenase chiefs palace.

Once the word got out that the Abontendomhene had somehow entered the palace and was meeting with Asafo Agyei there, the youth of Osenase massed up in an apparent attempt to attack the palace.

The Police intervened, entered the palace and arrested Asafo Agyei and 2 others.

In a viral video, the Police could be heard shouting “hey hey, arrest him” as they approached Asafo Agyei who was hoisted shoulder high within the compound of the palace. Asafo Agyei jumped down in an apparent unsuccessful attempt to escape the police.

The Police immediately escorted the Kyebi Abontendomhene and his entourage out of Osenase. The removal of these persons brought calm to Osenase and the police withdrew most of their officers.

In reacting to the events, the Osenase Gyaasehene, Baffour Oduro Safo said “we are very grateful to the Police for helping us bring calm to Osenase. Without them, things would have been bloody. We thank the Police commanders and their men for an excellent job. Calm has now returned to Osenase and we can now sleep in peace. What the Okyenhene and his Abontendomhene were trying to do is not good at all. In fact, it is very bad. They wanted to destroy our town. We thank the Odauhene, Odeneho Ayebiahwe, for urging us to remain calm throughout this. Without his encouragement, we would have acted differently.”

The fate of Asafo Agyei is unclear as at the time of filing this report. Attempts to solicit reaction from the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council has also not been successful