Africa-Press – Ghana. The Chief of Aplaku in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, Nii Kwei Aplaku III, has accused some police officers of aiding armed landguards who allegedly opened fire on him and his followers in an attempt to install a rival chief in the community.
According to him, he narrowly escaped death only after calling a fellow chief to intervene.
“The police-backed landguards would have killed me if I hadn’t called one of the chiefs to rescue me,” he lamented.
He claimed that certain police officers deployed to Aplaku were compromised and actively supported the rival faction led by the Okoso family head Nii Tettey Mensah, who is attempting to install a parallel chief.
Denies Hiring Landguards
Nii Kwei III dismissed accusations that he hired landguards who shot into a crowd, injuring his own supporters.
“Let’s be serious—if I brought landguards, why didn’t they attack my opponents but instead shot my own people? The police were right or presence there. They saw it,” he insisted.
According to him, the allegations levelled against him were certainly untrue and baseless.
Calls to Police Ignored
The chief said that while gunshots rang out near his palace, he called Chief Superintendent Freeman Kumashie, the Weija District Police Commander, to report the attack.
Nii Kwei III claims the officer abruptly hung up and later ignored repeated calls and text messages.
He further accused another senior officer, Animre, of refusing to intervene despite having taken both sides to court earlier to sign a peace bond.
“Animre promised to come but never did. He later told me he was under ‘restricted command’ and couldn’t show up,” the chief stated.
He alleged the officer later went to meet with the rival faction instead of responding to the violent incident.
Chaos Amid Attempts to Enstool Rival Chief
Nii Kwei III said the attacks occurred on Thursday, November 13, 2025, as elders aligned to the Okoso Family attempted to enstool Kabu Adams as a rival chief—an action he described as illegal and disrespectful to Ga customs.
He accused the police of standing by as armed men fired live bullets and hurled stones. Three of his followers, including his sister’s son, were shot and hospitalized.
“They wanted me dead. I was the target,” he said, calling for urgent intervention from the Inspector-General of Police and the Interior Minister.
We Will Defend Ourselves
Expressing disappointment in the role of the Kokrobite and Weija Police Commands, he warned other traditional leaders to be cautious:
“The police can merge with your opponents to kill you. We have learned our lesson. We will protect ourselves by any means necessary.”
Legitimacy Reaffirmed
Meanwhile, accredited elders and kingmakers of the Nii Kwei Nartey Aplaku Royal Family have reaffirmed their loyalty to Nii Kwei III, declaring him the only legitimate and gazetted chief of Aplaku since his installation in 2004.
They dismissed claims by the Head of Nii Narteh Aplaku Royal Family, Nii Otiboh that the Aplaku stool is vacant.
They stressed that: Chieftaincy is not determined by elections but by custom.
No destoolment process has ever been initiated against Nii Kwei III.
Rival claimant Kabu Adams has no blood ties to the royal family.
They condemned the attempt to install a parallel chief as Illegal.
A breach of court orders
A clear provocation that sparked Thursday’s violence
Court Orders Ignored
The feuding factions had earlier been compelled by police and court orders to maintain peace, yet some senior officers allegedly assisted the rival faction to flout these directives.
Elders Warn Public
They cautioned that any dealings with the rival claimant—including land-related transactions—would be null and void.
The elders maintained that Nii Kwei III was properly installed under sacred Ga and Ngleshie Alata customs and continues to be the only recognized traditional authority in Aplaku.
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