The Annor We Royal Family of the Prampram Traditional Area in the Greater Accra Region has strongly cautioned private developers and individuals against engaging in land transactions with the Prampram Traditional Council or any self-styled chiefs, insisting that lands in Prampram are not stool lands nor do they belong to the Prampram traditional council, since this has been established by the law in a 1977 landmark court ruling.
In a statement and petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Royal Family, made up of three gates, Kwei Opletu We, Abbey Doku Mansro We, and Tetteh Djan Larbi Agbo We, emphasized that all lands in Prampram are family-owned. They cited a landmark 1977 Court of Appeal ruling (Michael Martey Cauley vs. John Tettey Nartey), which held that the then Paramount Chief of Prampram, Nene Anorkwei II, and the Prampram Traditional Council had no authority or jurisdiction to sell lands, as ownership rests with the families.
The family noted that this ruling has never been overturned and therefore remains the legal foundation for land ownership in Prampram.
The caution comes amid what the family describes as persistent attempts by Yaw Aboah Djin, who, despite a court ruling against him, allegedly continues to use the backing of the Prampram Traditional Council and certain external actors to claim and sell family lands.
According to the family, claims by Yaw Aboah Djin that his supposed grantor, Justiny Company Limited, acquired the disputed lands from the Prampram Traditional Council are null and void, since neither the Council nor any traditional chief in Prampram is an allodial owner of lands within the traditional area. The family stressed that all lands in Prampram remain under the ownership of the respective royal families.
They further emphasized: “It is important to note that the traditional leaders from the Prampram Traditional Council who are reported to have signed the lease of assignment for Justine Company Limited, and who subsequently transferred the said lands to Yaw Aboah Djin, are not members of the Annor We Royal Family, nor do they hold any authority to represent the family in land matters.”
They further accused Aboah Djin of employing armed land guards and, in some cases, military personnel to forcibly evict lawful occupants from their homes and properties. Despite several petitions to both the Tema and Accra Regional Police Commands, the family says little has been done to address the matter.
Frustration, they warned, is building: “If urgent steps are not taken, we may be forced to defend our lands and properties ourselves,” the family stressed.
The Annor We Royal Family also called on all individuals and natives who acquired lands legitimately from the rightful families to stand firm and defend their properties, assuring them of full support from the family as grantors.
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