Rumpus at Osu, Chief's palace vandalised, 12 picked for

Front Page Lead story
June 28-2008

TWELVE people have been arrested by the Osu Police for breaking into and vandalising the Osu Mantse’s palace.
The 12 were picked up by a police patrol team at 8.00 p.m. on Thursday during the disturbances at the palace.
The Osu Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Elizabeth Dassah, made this known to the Daily Graphic when she paid a visit to the palace to assess the state of affairs.
She said she was surprised at the development because she had met the elders of one of the factions in the chieftaincy dispute earlier on Thursday morning to ensure peace, after she had heard that the youth of that faction had assaulted the caretaker of the palace in a bid to occupy it.
Chief Supt Dassah said the elders from the Dowuona faction had said at the meeting that they had an extract from the National House of Chiefs withdrawing recognition for the occupant of the palace, Nii Nortey Owuo III, for which reason they did not want him to occupy the palace. But they said they needed police assistance to do that.
However, she said, she had told the elders that the police could not do that unless there was a court order, adding that the elders then left, promising to get a court order to get the chief out of the place.
She said she was, therefore, shocked to learn later on Thursday evening that some people from that faction, including one of those who had been at the meeting in the morning, had gone to the palace with some young men to force their way into it.
DSP Samuel Punobyin, who led the police team to the palace, said when the patrol team got there, the intruders had locked themselves up to prevent the police from arresting them.
He said the leader of the intruders, whose name he gave as Lawrence Quist, then got down from the building, after which the others were picked up.
He said one of the intruders who tried to escape on seeing the police was beaten up by some members of the opposing faction after he had unknowingly run into their territory.
DSP Punobyin said it was the police who rescued him from further assault.
When the Daily Graphic team got the palace, there was a bullet hole in one of the glass windows, while implements, including an axe, a sword, a hammer, pincers and a butcher’s knife, were found there.
Also there were broken flower pots and louvre blades, among other things. However, drinks on the conference table at the palace and a computer were intact.
A member of the Owuo faction in the protracted dispute, Nii Okwei Nortey, described Thursday night’s incident as unfortunate, saying that an extract from the National House of Chiefs did not mean a chief had been destooled.
He blamed the House of Chiefs for the problem, since it listened to only one of the factions, instead of both.
He said the chief had since responded to the letter from the House of Chiefs.
Nii Nortey said anybody who had a problem with the current chief should go to court and do the honourable thing.
Meanwhile, Chief Supt Dassah said the matter was being investigated, after which the police would decide on the next line of action.