…To Organise Heritage Month, Using ‘Fake’ Family Members, Deceive Acting Defence Minister To Take Illegal Custody Of Repatriated Severed Head Of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II
In less than one year of the President John Dramani Mahama delivery at the United Nations World Conference on the atrocities and evil treatment by the White Europeana against the black African race, a fresh controversy for a test case against the governance of the National Democrats Congress has erupted in the AHANTA Traditional Area of the Western Region after the Member of Parliament for the AHANTA West Hon. Mavis Kuukua BISSUE tries to bypass the AHANTA Royal family to usurp the power of the recognized traditional leadership with the most legitimate authority as bloody lineage relations of the beheaded late Otumfour Badu Bonsoe II, which was brought to Ghana in 2009.
The Anona Royal Family of the Ahanta Paramount Stool, contends that the MP, in collaboration with other officials, has assumed powers that traditionally belong to the Royal Family by spearheading preparations for the cultural event without prior consultation with the legitimate custodians of the Ahanta Paramount Stool.
At the centre of the dispute is the reported intention to incorporate the repatriated severed head of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II which was brought into Ghana in 2009, into the planned celebrations, a move the Royal Family describes as unlawful, unacceptable and contrary to Ahanta custom and tradition.
According to the family, the remains of the late Ahanta king are sacred and cannot be used as part of any public celebration without the express consent and involvement of Otumfuo Baidoo Bonsoe XVI Omanhene of Ahanta Traditional Area, Nana Sene Akuba IV, Paramount Queenmother and Principal Elders of Anona Royal Family and custodians of the Ahanta Paramount stool.
The controversy comes on the heels of a letter dated 19th June, 2026 referenced PS/MKB/26/310 from the Member of Parliament for Ahanta West, Hon. Mavis Kuukua Bissue, wrongfully addressed to the President of the Ahanta Traditional Council requesting a courtesy visit to the Ahanta Traditional Council on June 28, 2026, to discuss preparations for Ahanta Heritage Month 2026 and seek the Council’s guidance and support.
However, members of the Royal Family insist that while the letter seeks the involvement of the Traditional Council, the MP had made prior preparations and engagement with some illegitimate chiefs and individuals without the consent of the Principal Elders of the Paramount Stool.
Parallel efforts are allegedly being made by the MP and persons they do not recognise as having customary authority and capacity to take decisions concerning the repatriated remains of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II.
The family argues Hon. Mavis Kuukua Bissue, MP of Ahanta West and the MCE are not Custodians of the Ahanta custom and Tradition and do not have any mandate or prior authorisation and consent from the Anona Royal Family of the Ahanta Paramount Stool, Busua, to organise Ahanta Heritage month.
According to them, matters relating to the late king’s remains fall exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Anona Royal Family of the Ahanta Paramount Stool who are the appropriate royal lineage and custodians of Ahanta, adding that any attempt to use the repatriated severed head to organise Ahanta Heritage Month activities without their approval is unlawful and would amount to a serious violation of Ahanta customs and Traditions.
The family categorically stated that one Nana Obo Atta Kojo Kukuamoa IV has never been enstooled as Chief of Takoradi -Amanful and Anona Akade Family are not Royals in Ahanta and therefore do not have the capacity to represent the Anona Royal family in matters relating to the remains of the late King of Ahanta.
They explained that substantive Chief of Takoradi – Amanful Stool is Nana Obo Atta Kojo Essoun III, duly known and recognized by Anona Royal Family of the Ahanta Paramount Stool.
They further describe the alleged plan as a desecration of the sacred remains of the late king, insisting that the head was repatriated solely to enable the Ahanta people to perform the necessary traditional rites and accord Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II a dignified burial in accordance with Ahanta customs and usage.
The development follows an earlier legal challenge in which lawyers for the recognised Ahanta Paramount Stool asked the Ministry of Defence to suspend a planned meeting with Nana Obo Atta Kukuamoa IV illegitimate Chief of Takoradi – Amanful and persons claiming to represent the Anona Ackade Family over the release of the repatriated remains.
According to the lawyers, those invited by the Ministry lack the customary and legal authority to represent the Ahanta Paramount Stool on matters concerning the remains of the late king.
The Royal Family has therefore called on government officials and all stakeholders to respect established customary structures and Protocols to ensure that any decisions regarding the repatriated remains are taken only after consultation with the recognised traditional authorities.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly had not publicly responded to the allegations.
Meanwhile, a planned meeting between the Ministry of Defence and individuals claiming to represent the Ahanta Traditional Area over the release of the repatriated severed head of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II has been thrown into uncertainty after lawyers for the recognised Ahanta Paramount Stool petitioned the Ministry to suspend the engagement.
The lawyers allege that some persons, including Nana Obo Atta Kukuamoa IV and individuals claiming to be members of the Anona Ackade Royal Family, are attempting to assume custody of the repatriated remains without the customary or legal authority to do so.
In a letter dated June 25, 2026, lawyers from Dankwah & Associates, acting on behalf of Otumfuo Baidoo Bonsoe XVI, Paramount Chief of the Ahanta Traditional Area, Nana Sene Akuba IV, Paramount Queen Mother, and Ebusuapanyin Agya Bura, Head of the Anona Royal Family, formally notified the Minister for Defence that the scheduled meeting should not proceed in its current form.
The legal representatives argued that their clients are the only recognised custodians with the authority to engage the state on matters relating to the remains of the late Ahanta king and warned that allowing any other group to take part in discussions on the release of the remains could undermine established customary authority.
The controversy follows an invitation issued by the Ministry of Defence on June 17, 2026, inviting Nana Obo Atta Kukuamoa IV, the Krontihene of the Ahanta Traditional Area and Ohene of Takoradi Township, together with a number of representatives from the Ahanta Kingmakers and the Anona Ackade Royal Family to a meeting scheduled for June 30, 2026.
The invitation, signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, E.A. Kartey, on behalf of the Acting Minister for Defence, indicated that the meeting was intended to discuss issues arising from an earlier petition concerning the release of the severed head of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II, which is currently being kept at the mortuary of the 37 Military Hospital.
The Ministry acknowledged the historical, cultural and traditional importance of the matter and stated that the engagement was intended to provide an opportunity for discussions on the way forward regarding the release of the remains.
However, the lawyers contend that the invitation effectively seeks to confer legitimacy on persons who have no recognised authority over the Ahanta Paramount Stool or the remains of the late king.
According to the petition, Nana Obo Atta Kukuamoa IV and the individuals invited by the Ministry do not possess either the customary authority or legal mandate to represent the Ahanta Paramount Stool in matters concerning Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II.
The lawyers further referenced a directive issued by the Ministry of the Interior on February 1, 2022, regarding the release of the repatriated remains from the 37 Military Hospital, insisting that any discussions on the matter must involve only the duly recognised traditional leadership.
They therefore called on the Minister for Defence to immediately suspend the scheduled meeting until the issue of legitimate representation is resolved.
The latest development adds a new dimension to the longstanding efforts by the Ahanta Paramount Stool towards established arrangement and befitting burial of the repatriated severed head of the late King in accordance with Ahanta customs and traditions.
As of the time of filing this report, it remains unclear whether the Ministry of Defence will cancel or reschedule the meeting or review the list of invited participants in response to the concerns raised by the lawyers.
Official documents dating back to the repatriation of the severed head of Otumfuo Baidoo Bonsoe II from the Netherlands Reveal Anona Royal Family of Ahanta’s Long-Standing Custodianship of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II’s Repatriated Remains.
The documents surfaced, indicate that Otumfuo Baidoo Bonsoe XV, the immediate passed Omanhene of Ahanta and President of the Ahanta Traditional Council set up a Funeral Planning Committee in collaboration with the Western Regional House of Chiefs entrusted with overseeing the late king’s final funeral rites.
The documents, spanning from 2009 to 2012, shed new light on the official arrangements surrounding the return of the remains and the structures established to ensure a dignified burial in accordance with Ahanta customs and traditions.
One of the documents confirms that the Dutch Government formally handed over the remains of the late Ahanta King to an official delegation from the Ahanta Traditional Council led by Nana Etsin Kofi II, Divisional Chief of Aboadi and Saanahene of Ahanta Traditional Area during a ceremony held at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 23, 2009, following years of diplomatic engagement.
According to the document, the Dutch authorities agreed to provide accommodation for ten members of the Ahanta delegation and bear all freight costs associated with transporting the king’s remains to Ghana. The delegation, however, was responsible for its own airfare.
The document further reveals that an advance team from the Ahanta Traditional Council was deemed unnecessary by Dutch authorities because arrangements for the official handover had already been concluded.
Following the successful repatriation, another document from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, dated May 13, 2012, outlines the appointment of King Arthur Paes as spokesperson for the Ahanta Traditional Area and the Western Regional House of Chiefs.
The letter recounts how the Chiefs of the Ahanta Traditional Council and the Government of Ghana jointly travelled to the Netherlands in July 2009 to receive the severed head of King Baidoo Bonsoe II, who was executed by Dutch colonial authorities in 1838.
It explains that after the remains were returned to Ghana, the Ahanta Traditional Council in collaboration with the Western Regional House of Chiefs established a Funeral Planning Committee to organise the late king’s final funeral rites.
The correspondence further notes that the committee considered the construction of a modern royal mausoleum as an essential part of completing the burial process, estimating that the project would require substantial financial resources beyond what the traditional authorities could independently raise.
To facilitate fundraising and international engagement, the committee appointed King Arthur Paes as its official spokesperson.
That appointment was reinforced through a Power of Attorney executed in 2012 by representatives of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, the Ahanta Traditional Council and the King Baidoo Bonsoe II Funeral Planning Committee.
Under the Power of Attorney, King Arthur Paes was authorised to liaise with Dutch authorities and other institutions to seek financial support for constructing the royal mausoleum, assist in mobilising resources for the late king’s final funeral rites, and serve as spokesperson on all matters relating to the mausoleum and burial arrangements.
The signatories also undertook to indemnify him for actions undertaken in pursuit of those responsibilities.
The emergence of these documents comes at a time when competing claims have surfaced over who has the legitimate authority to take custody of the repatriated remains of Otumfuo Badu Bonsoe II.
Supporters of the Anona Royal Family of the Ahanta Paramount Stool argue that the historical records demonstrate that responsibility for the late king’s remains has consistently rested with the Ahanta Traditional Council and the officially constituted Funeral Planning Committee, rather than with individuals acting outside recognised traditional arrangement.
The documents are expected to feature prominently in the ongoing debate over the eventual release, custody and final burial of the remains, a matter that has remained unresolved for more than a decade despite the successful repatriation of the late king’s severed head from the Netherlands.
The AHANTA Traditional Area believes that these issue alone as in the fairness and honesty of his Excellency the President John Dramani Mahama in this particular case to hand over the beheaded late Otumfour Badu Bonsoe II to its rightful owners will determine the fate of the NDC party in the upcoming election.