Phony Chief, Accomplice Dragged To Court Over Forgery Plot.
A sensational criminal trial has ignited in Sekondi, as a self-proclaimed chief and his alleged co-conspirator face damning charges of forging official documents in a brazen attempt to seize the Wassa Fiase stool.
Emmanuel Assoua Nyami, who styles himself as Katakyie Ntsiful Essel V, and Alfred Duodoo, a former Registrar of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Council, appeared before the Circuit Court in Sekondi yesterday, accused of a calculated conspiracy to deceive public officials and illicitly secure a chieftaincy declaration.
The explosive case stems from a formal complaint lodged by Nana Abena Konajoa II, the Paramount Queenmother of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area. She alleges that Assoua Nyami (A1) deliberately fabricated official Chieftaincy Declaration (CD) Forms in a audacious bid to fraudulently register himself as the Omanhene of Wassa Fiase.
DAMNING EVIDENCE UNVEILED
Court documents lay bare the shocking details: the duo stands accused of intentionally forging CD Forms 1A and 1B. According to the prosecution, these falsified documents were submitted with the explicit intent to deceive and secure Assoua Nyami’s entry into the National Register of Chiefs as the legitimate Omanhene.
Assoua Nyami is identified as a businessman, while his alleged partner in crime, Alfred Duodoo (A2), is a civil servant, leveraging his past position as Registrar.
“Emmanuel Assoua Nyami, Businessman and Alfred Duoodu, Civil Servant, on or about the 20th day of October, 2016, at Sekondi-Takoradi… you submitted false statement contained in Chieftaincy Declaration Forms (CD Forms) 1A and 1B… with the intent to deceive and to have the name of A1 entered in the National Register of Chiefs as the Omanhene of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area,” Count Five of the Statement of Offence emphatically declares.
SECRET INSTALLATION, FALSE CLAIMS EXPOSED
During Tuesday’s dramatic first sitting, damning revelations emerged. It was disclosed that Assoua Nyami (A1) allegedly held a highly questionable installation ceremony on October 19, 2016, not in the traditional seat of Benso, but secretly in Dompim Pepesa.
This clandestine act, prosecutors contend, was carried out on the blind side of authorities, despite an ongoing dispute that had been officially nullified since 2017.
The very next day, October 20, 2016, the alleged illegalities continued. The pair are accused of secretly furnishing CD Forms 1A and 1B, replete with a litany of falsehoods.
These included fabricated claims of the lawful destoolment of Rev. William Chika Morgan as Omanhene and a false assertion that A1’s purported installation took place in Benso, not Dompim Pepesa.
The ultimate aim, according to the prosecution, was for Duodoo to submit these forms to the Western Regional House of Chiefs to gain official acceptance for Assoua Nyami, all without the express authorization of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Council – the crucial first point of contact.
PLANS FOILED, FRAUD UNCOVERED
Fortunately for traditional authority, their alleged agenda was thwarted. Investigations revealed that both the Western and National Houses of Chiefs refused to process the forged documents for recognition.
Undeterred, Assoua Nyami reportedly pursued a series of legal actions based on these very same false representations, astonishingly obtaining judicial orders that were later determined to have been fraudulently procured.
In June 2024, the High Court in Tarkwa, in a separate civil suit, delivered a devastating blow to Assoua Nyami, finding that he had, in fact, made false statements under oath to obtain prior court orders.
Following extensive investigations, both individuals have now been formally charged with forgery and conspiracy to forge official documents with intent to deceive Public Officials.
The prosecution adamantly maintains that their actions represent a calculated and deliberate attempt to subvert both judicial and traditional authority, thereby undermining the very integrity of the revered chieftaincy institution.
The Sekondi Circuit Court is poised to continue proceedings in this high-stakes case on September 2, 2025.