Police halt illegal enstoolment of Gomoa Assin chief

The timely intervention of the Police in the Gomoa Assin area in the Central Region averted what would have been an illegal enstoolment of another chief.

According to reports, a group led by the alleged imposter, Ekow Gurah, stormed the community in an attempt to install him as overlord.

Supporters were reportedly bused into the town by the organisers of the plot, despite the long-established legitimacy of Nana Kofi Asamwoma V, who is widely recognised by residents as the Odikro of Gomoa Assin.

Police stepped in to halt what they described as an unauthorised and unlawful installation attempt.

The intervention followed heightened tension over a resurfacing chieftaincy dispute, with the family of Nana Kofi Asamwoma V reaffirming his authority and condemning the rival faction’s actions.

Elders, principal kingmakers and youth groups criticised the orchestrators of the attempted installation, describing them as “destoolment contractors.”

They commended the police for preventing “miscreants, their assigns and agents” from carrying out what they called an illegality that sought to sow confusion in the area.

Nana Kofi Asamwoma V, who was enstooled and gazetted in 2013, remains the only recognised chief of Gomoa Assin, according to the Traditional Council and the royal Ayoko family.

They dismissed the actions of Ekow Gurah and his collaborators as a deliberate hoax.

Paramount Chief of the Gomoa Assin Traditional Area, Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II, also distanced the council from a viral video purporting to show the installation of Ekow Gurah. He described the footage as “unlawful, improper and void,” insisting that no destoolment proceedings had ever been initiated against the sitting chief.

“There is no record of any petition before the Traditional Council,” he said. “No such letter exists. In Gomoa Assin, it is not noise but custom that crowns a chief.”

He challenged the rival group to show evidence of any formal complaint lodged with the council, the Apam Divisional Police Command, the Central Regional House of Chiefs, the Gomoa West Municipal Assembly, or the Inspector General of Police.

The Omanhene praised the reign of Nana Kofi Asamwoma V, highlighting improvements in cultural revitalisation, unity among traditional factions, and development initiatives.

Registrar of the Traditional Council, Richard Atubiga, confirmed that his office has no record of any destoolment process or new installation attempt.