Otumfuo Revokes Authority of Osei Tutu over Gyamfi Wonoo
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has revoked the authority granted to one Osei Tutu to oversee lands in Gyamfi Wonoo and Sokora Wonoo, declaring the decision by the Jamasi Divisional Council to appoint him as untraditional.
Delivering the ruling at the Kumasi Traditional Council (KTC), the Asantehene affirmed that under Asante custom, traditional stool elders hold the rightful mandate to oversee a town during a chieftaincy vacancy—not external appointees.
The matter was brought before the KTC by Oheneyere Abusuapanin Opanin of Sokora Wonoo.
He reported that Osei Tutu had deployed land guards into their territory, destroyed local farms, and was indiscriminately selling land under the pretext of holding authorisation from the Mamponghene.
Opanin Poku noted that petitions regarding the issue had previously been submitted to key traditional rulers, including the Apagyahene, Otumfuo Kyeame Bonsu, Otumfuo Nkosuohene, and the Saamanhene.
In his defence, Osei Tutu presented three separate letters to justify his presence on the land. The first document, written in 2012 by the Jamasi Ankobeahene, tasked Osei Tutu, described as Otumfuo Nkosuohene Akwamuhene, to supervise activities and audit land sales in Gyamfi Wonoo conducted between 1990 and 2012.
The second document, a 2013 letter from the Registrar of the Asante Mampong Traditional Council, asserted that Gyamfi Wonoo fell under the Jamasi division, had been vacant since the death of Nana Osei Yaw, and that the division held the right to appoint a caretaker. A third letter written by Manhyiahene Nana Brefo Kotoko directed the implementation of the Mamponghene’s directive.
However, evidence presented before the Council showed that Osei Tutu had extended his operations beyond Gyamfi Wonoo to illegally sell lands within the neighbouring jurisdiction of Sokoraa Wonoo.
Asantehene rejected the validity of the arrangement, questioning how the Jamasi elders could bypass local stool leaders.
His Majesty questioned where the elders of Gyamfi Wonoo were when the Jamasi elders granted authority to Osei Tutu, emphasising that even in the absence of a chief, a town retains its elders, and Jamasi cannot grant such authority under Asante traditions.
Consequently, the Asantehene annulled the authority granted to Osei Tutu over both Gyamfi Wonoo and Sokoraa Wonoo, warning him to cease all land sales immediately.
Otumfuo also stripped him of his title as Nkosuohene Akwamuhene and instructed him to account for all land transactions to the Mamponghene.
Furthermore, the Asantehene directed the appropriate authorities to summon the Asante Mamponghene alongside the royals of Gyamfi Wonoo to appear before the KTC on Monday, August 17, 2026, to explain the development.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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