…..as exile Chief Returns
The once-tranquil hills of Kwahu have become the unlikely stage for a high-stakes power struggle, where chieftaincy, politics, and brute force have collided in a drama that has shaken the Eastern Region’s traditional authority to its core.
At the heart of the crisis is Queen Mother Nana Adwoa Gyamfua III, whose audacious orchestration of the illegal destoolment of the legitimate paramount chief, Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, has plunged the Kwahu Traditional Area into months of tension and fear.
Backed by political actors from the previous administration most notably Brian Acheampong, the MP for the area and a key figure in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) attempted resurgence the Queen Mother installed her preferred candidate, Baffour Osei Akoto, under the contrived stool name Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng III.
Despite a clear ruling by the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs in June 2024 affirming Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II’s legitimacy and barring the impostor and his allies from interfering in palace affairs, the Queen Mother and her faction defied the injunction.
With the help of land guards and political thugs, she seized the Abene Palace, stationing armed men to guard it day and night, effectively exiling the rightful chief and his elders from their ancestral seat.
The palace takeover, widely seen as a politically motivated act to destabilize the region ahead of the 2024 general elections, has left residents of Kwahu Abene and surrounding communities living under a cloud of intimidation. Locals speak of a climate of fear, with armed men patrolling the palace grounds and reports of threats against those loyal to the legitimate chief.
The situation reached a dramatic crescendo on 17 November 2025, when a dawn police operation led to the arrest of the Queen Mother and several of her associates. Initial reports of her disappearance sparked a media frenzy, with some outlets suggesting she had been abducted.
The self-styled chief, Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng III, decried the operation as a kidnapping, claiming ignorance of the police action.
But the Kwahu Traditional Council swiftly corrected the narrative. In a strongly worded statement, it clarified that the operation was conducted in accordance with the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs’ injunction and aimed at restoring lawful order. The Council accused the Queen Mother of engaging thugs to forcibly occupy the palace and disrupt the work of the legitimate chief.
In a surprising twist, the Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, ordered the Queen Mother’s release and launched an internal investigation into the operation.
The IGP’s intervention has raised eyebrows, with critics questioning whether political pressure influenced the decision. His swift move to distance the police hierarchy from the raid has only deepened suspicions of high-level interference.
The Kwahu chieftaincy crisis is no longer a mere traditional dispute it has become a litmus test for the rule of law in Ghana’s democratic landscape. With political actors allegedly using traditional institutions as pawns in their electoral chess game, the integrity of the chieftaincy system and the peace of the region hang in the balance.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the battle for Kwahu Abene is far from over. And in the shadows of the palace, the ghosts of political ambition continue to stir.