The Okpelor Sowah Din Family, allodial owners of the Nmai Dzorn lands, has refuted what it describes as ‘false, malicious and defamatory’ allegations made against it by the Nungua Stool, accusing the latter of deliberate misinformation, abuse of court processes and attempts to politicise a long-settled land matter.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, elders of the family dismissed claims made during a recent media interview by representatives of the Nungua Stool, led by Benjamin Kwame Danso and George Oti Bonsu, that the family was being sponsored by Mr Alfred Mahama, brother of President John Dramani Mahama, and popular actor Baba Sule.
According to the family, the allegation is ‘completely baseless, false and malicious,’ insisting that neither Mr. Alfred Mahama nor Baba Sule has any involvement, directly or indirectly, in the affairs, activities or customary matters of the Okpelor Sowah Din Family.
“The statement was a calculated attempt to misinform the public, politicise a traditional land issue and unfairly prejudice public opinion against our family,” a spokesperson said.
The family expressed surprise that Mr Danso, whom they noted is nurturing political ambitions within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and currently serves on the Lands Commission Board, would make what they described as reckless claims that disparage both the President and private citizens for what they termed selfish interests.
The family also addressed claims by Mr Danso regarding an alleged contempt action involving a police officer identified as Vans Gariba, describing those claims as legally unsustainable and misleading.
The Family stated that Officer Gariba has never been served with any court order, has never appeared before any court in relation to the matter, and is not a party to any proceedings involving the family.
“In law, contempt proceedings cannot be sustained against a person who has not been served with a court order, is not bound by such an order, and has not willfully disobeyed a lawful directive,” the family said, stressing that contempt of court is a serious quasi-criminal process that cannot be founded on rumours or propaganda.
Reaffirming its claim to the Nmai Dzorn lands, the Okpelor Sowah Din Family said ownership of the land had been conclusively determined by the Supreme Court as far back as 5 May 2004 in the case of Adjetey Agbosu & 5 Others v. Ebenezer Nikoi Kotey & 2 Others.
The family further cited a Court of Appeal judgment dated 14 May 2015 in Jake Kwarteng Acheampong v. Ampofo Edusei & Anor (Civil Appeal No. H1/88/2013), which again upheld ownership of the Nmai Dzorn lands in favour of the Okpelor Sowah Din Family and its privies in title, against what they described as the ‘spurious claims’ of the Nungua Stool.
They also rejected claims that Nmai Dzorn has no judgment plan, insisting that the judgment plan, together with the Supreme Court ruling, had on several occasions been made available to the Police CID Headquarters in Accra, a fact they said was well known to Mr. Danso as a member of the Lands Commission.
The family accused the Nungua Stool of abusing court processes, noting that an injunction application filed by the stool at the Accra High Court on 24 October 2025 (Suit No. LD/0070/2025) was dismissed, with the court affirming that the Nmai Dzorn lands belong to Nmai Dzorn. A subsequent injunction application filed at the Tema court on the same matter was also dismissed.
The Okpelor Sowah Din Family has demanded an immediate public retraction of the allegations by the Nungua Stool, as well as an unqualified apology to the family, Mr. Alfred Mahama and Baba Sule.
They warned that failure to comply would leave them with no option but to pursue all available legal remedies, including actions for defamation, abuse of court process, and malicious publication.
The family urged the general public and media organisations to disregard what they described as false and misleading claims and to exercise caution in amplifying unverified allegations surrounding the long-standing land dispute.
