By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Denu
The Some Traditional Council (STC) at Agbozume in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region, has taken a strong exception to what it described as the brazen attempt being made by the Awoamefia of Anlo, Torgbui Sri III, not only to create confusion in Some, but also create conflict between Anlo and Some.
Speaking at a press conference at Denu, the Paramount Chief of the Some Traditional Area, Torgbui Adamah III, said the chiefs and people of Some would not sit idle to allow the wish of the Awoamefia to materialize.
According to him, their forefathers had vehemently and vigorously resisted such attempts in the past and that they would follow suit by resisting such an intimidation.
The press conference was in reaction to a letter purportedly written on May 3, 2024, by Torgbui Sri III, Awoamefia of Anlo to the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
The letter in question was copied to the Attornry General and Minister of Justice, the President, National House of Chiefs, the President, Volta Regional House of Chiefs, the Volta Regional Minister and the Minister for National Security.
The letter, according to the STC was also widely circulated in the social media and subsequently discussed on local radio stations and media outlets in the Ketu North and South Municipalities.
Torgbui Sri’s letter captioned, ‘Creation of New Traditional Councils and Elevation of Paramount Chiefs in Anlo Dukor’, sought to elevate to paramount status, three (3) widely known defacto and dejure Some towns namely Denu, Xedranawo and Adafienu which he called Some Fugo Traditional Council.
Torgbui Adamah III, who is also the President of the Some Traditional Council, noted that they have been aware of the many machinations by the leadership of Anlo to create the impression in the minds and eyes of many Ghanaians and outsiders that Some is part of Anlo, adding that the ultimate aim is to claim hegemony over Some.
“It will never happen. We have said it before, we are saying it now and we will continue to say it that, Some has never been part of Anlo, and will never be under Anlo, will never be part of their envisaged Anlo Kingdom whatever the circumstances. We will resist it till the last drop of our blood,” Torgbui Adamah warned.
In setting the records straight, the Some Overlord, asserted that during the migration of the forebears of the Someawo from the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires to Egypt, Sudan and Ketu, Some had not had any direct contact with the Anlos.
At Notsie, the Someawo (then called or referred to as the Agudzeawo lived separately (at different quarters) from the Anlos who were then known as the Dogbo-Nyigboawo.
According to Torgbui Adamah III, their forefathers did not leave Notsie together with the Anlos (Dogbo-Nyigboawo), explaining that they the Someawo had left under their leader Nukpornuku.
Torgbui Adamah III said the Agudzeawo had settled at Keta before the Anlos (Dogbo-Nyigboawo) arrived, passed by them and went to found Anlo (which claimed was the name coined by Torgbui Wenya meaning ‘I have coiled’), cannot go further. He added that the Agudzeawo/Ketawo (now Someawo) left Keta because of the betrayal of the Anlos.
According to him, the Anlos had helped the Danes against them as a result of which they had fought and defeated them in the Battles of Dorlorme, Awasefe and Dzenunyekpodzi. ‘The Anlos cannot claim superiority or hegemony over us, their conquerers. No, Nover! Not in our qlives. Enough is enough. We are not part of their ‘Anlo Gborta Blaetor Vor Adea’, whatever it means’, the Some Overlord intimated.
He noted that they are at a loss as to what locus or capacity Torgbui Sri III has to call for the creation of traditional councils and elevation of some stools to paramount stools in other jurisdictions, arguing that the 1992 Constitution and the Chieftaincy Act, Act 279 of 2008, do not confer such powers on him. In his view, Torgbui Sri III is overstepping his bounds and must not only be stopped in his tracks but also stopped from daring the people of Some.
Torgbui Adamah III warned those he described as their brothers and sisters who are covertly and overtly or clandestinely helping the Anlos in their agenda of destabilizing Some to beware and that they are biting more than they can chew. He disclosed that such persons are located at Blekusu, Agavedzi, Adina, Adafienu, Xedzranawo and Denu, reminding them that they would regret their actions pretty soon.
Answering questions from journalists, Torgbui Adamah III, explained that Anlo is a clan among the larger Ewe speaking group in the southern part of the Volta Region. According to him, it is for this reason that there are Aflaoawo, Avenowo, Afifeawo, Wetawo, Dzodzeawo, Penyiawo, Aveawo and Someawo just to mention a few, emphasizing that the people of Volta South are not Anlos and that they are independent Ewe groups of people including the Anlos who have also settled at their present locations.
In the view of the Overlord, for Torgbui Sri III to come and lift up a chief, who is not recognized by the Someawo to the status of a Paramount Chief, is pure provocation. ‘The personality of the Ayivor Stool they are mentioning and elevating is not a chief before the people of Some. We don’t know them so Anlo should not come and plant a seed in Some and subsequently use that seed as a stepping stone to enter Some.
The press conference was attended by a number of chiefs and queenmothers from the Some Traditional Area. They included the Awadada, Torgbui Gbadago VI, Miafiaga of Some, Torgbui Awaba V, Torgbui Baku V of Denu, Torgbui Tsre Dabensu IV of Adafienu as well as the Secretary to the Council, Mr. Charles Nypson Agbagedy.
Before the press conference, the traditional leaders and their supporters took a 40-minute walk through some of the principal streets of Denu to create awareness to the citizenry. Being a market day, residents particularly those around the market came out in their numbers to enquire what was going on.
