A High Court in Tema Metropolis Presided over by Justice Ankamah has ruled to annul the installation of one Ebenezer Mensah as the Mankralo of Prampram, in the Greater Accra Region.
The court also prohibited the said Ebenezer Mensah from holding himself as the Mankralo of Prampram.
The family of late Nene Atsure Benta III, of the Royal Kle Obonu Wem has issued a press statement to commend the court and the Judge for making rule of law to prevail.
After the burial of Nene Atsure Benta III about a year ago, news broke that one Ebenezer Mensah, brother of politician Enock Teye (E.T) Mensah has wrongfully been installed as Mankralo of Prampram.
This prompted the Kle Royal Obonu Wem family to proceed to court on a number of grounds that;
1.E.T Mensah and his brother are not from Obonu Wem.
2.The rightful consultations and after burial ceremonies have all not been performed.
While the case was yet to be heard for final judgment, the installation of the said Mankralo was carried out; to this, the family sued them again for contempt at the Tema High Court and also at the Prampram Traditional Council. The Prampram Traditional Council till date is not set for its proceeding.
The Tema High Court has however given a ruling on the contempt case and ordered that the contemnors are to execute a bond not to hold anyone as the Mankralo of Prampram until the Judicial Committee of the Prampram Traditional Council decides otherwise or in default face two months imprisonment.
The contemnors were slapped with twelve (12) penalty units per person or in default face three months imprisonment. Each contemnor is also to pay an amount of Ghc 6,000 to the applicants by way of cost.
In a statement, Head of family for Obonu Wem Emmanuel Tetteh Nartey said the illegal installation came as a shock to the family which was still in grief over the gruesome murder of the Mankralo of Prampram.
Mr. Tettey Martey explained to Nationaltymes.com reporter that in their state of mourning, news came that E.T Mensah’s brother, one Ebenezer Mensah has been imposed on the elders to be installed as Mankralo of Prampram.
He said they did not get the information until consultations were ongoing and because Prampram was a comparatively small community, every discussion was leaked out.
Mr. Tettey Nartey further hinted that the news went opened and the family of Nene Atsure Benta III stool took the matter to court on the basis of the fact that E.T Mensah and his brother are not from Obonu Wem.
He indicated that the rightful consultations and after burial ceremonies have all not been performed. It was very surprising and sad to see some greedy elders hurriedly preparing for the next Mankralo of which Obonu Wem family was ignored, Mr. Tettey Nartey retorted.
Mr. Tettey Nartey accused former Member of Parliament, MP for Prampram, E.T Mensah of being the driving force behind the illegal installation.
E.T Mensah’s name was so paramount in all their actions. They were so fearless because E.T Mensah gave the very assurance based on his political influence, then finally, his brother by name Ebenezer Mensah was brought up to become the next Mankralo, he alleged.
We as a family and rightful owners of the Prampram Mankralo Stool of Kle Obonu Wem protested but the mighty hands of E.T Mensah were still influencing the process, he added.
Mr. Tettey Nartey explained that they had no choice than to take the matter to court because E.T Mensah and his brother were aliens to our royal stool. Whilst at court, he further acvused E. T. Mensah tries to “influence the bad elders to go ahead with the installation of his brother as the Mankralo of Prampram; and “he made land-guards to cease our family house and no one could enter”.
In his statement, Emmanuel Tettey Nartey expressed gratitude saying, “we the family of Obonu Wem are really grateful to God for vindicating us from the cruel hands of E.T Mensah and his allies”. We bless the judge who did not allow dirty political influence to take the place of justice. It is good note that Ghana still has good judges, he acknowledged.
