“You can not destool our Chief”- Coaltar Traditional Council to Okogyeaman
Coaltar Traditional Council has condemned the actions of Kyebi – Apapamhene Okogyeaman Apagya Fori who performed rituals claiming to destool the Chief of Coaltar, Barima Okekrebesi Asiedu II. They said in this age, a chief cannot be destooled by merely slaughtering a sheep.
It’s important to note that Kyebi – Apapamhene Okogyeaman Apagya Fori is not kingmaker And,therefore have no mandate or capacity whatsoever to enstool or destool the chief of Coaltar,’ a statement issued by members of the Traditional council said.
On January 17th 2025, it was reported in the media that the chief of Coaltar Traditional council has been destool led by the Kyebi Apapamhene, Okogyeaman Apagya fori, had announced that Barima Okekrebesi Asiedu II had been destooled after he performed the Traditional rite of pouring libation, slaughtering a ram and invoking the oath of the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia ofori Panin.
The Traditional council completely dissociates itself from this dastardly and illegal conduct of the chief,’ the statement said, explaining that ‘in this modern day and age, a chief cannot be destooled by merely slaughtering a sheep,pouring libation or removing a chief’s sandals which are outmoded and antiquated practices’.
Additional, the council stated that a chief could not be destooled through public Demonstration, the beating of the gong-gong, invocation of an oath or public notification in the media, since those did not satisfy the legal and customary requirements of destoolment.
It said the conduct of the chiefs contravened Section 40 sub-section (1) of the chieftaincy Act 2008 ( Act759) which states: ‘A person is not entitled under this act to institute proceedings for the deposition of chief unless that person is entitled to do so under the customs of the area Concerned.’
After emphasising that Barima Okekrebesi Asiedu II remained the substantive chief of Coaltar Traditional Area, the council cited Justice S. A Brobbey in his book,’ The law of Chieftaincy in Ghana’, in which he noted that a chief could be destooled only through the preferment of destoolment charges against him by the majority of the kingmakers, investigation into the destoolment charges, compliance with the rules of natural justice and when the actual customary process of destoolment had been performed.
‘The notion by the said chief who is not the kingmaker, that they can merely pour libation, slaughte a sheep and invoke the Okyehene’ s Great Oath to destool the Chief of Coaltar is not informed by the legal rules and practices of destoolment but rather out of ignorance of the law or a deliberate attempt to throw dust into the public eyes to cause unnecessary disturbances, ‘ it said.
The council pointed out that the Chief of Coaltar did not swear an Oath of allegiance to any chief beyond the boundaries of Coaltar, adding, ‘ we wish to inform the public that Okyeman and Coaltarman are related by blood of consanguinity and that this cordial blood relationship could not be broken by anybody, since blood is thicker than water.
It said the conduct of the chief of Kyebi – Apapam had the intent of causing fear and panic in the Traditional Area and, therefore, constituted a criminal offence under the criminal code of Ghana, for which reason certain chiefs in the area had reported the conduct of the chief to the police.
The council, therefore called on the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, the Regional and National House of Chiefs to mount an extensive national education on the process of Enstoolment and enskinment, as well as destoolment and enskinment of chiefs in the country.
Story: Emmanuel Adjetey
