The High Court in Mankessim has ruled that Mr Kojo Ankomah Dickson is not the legitimate Ebusuapanyin (Head) of the Paakesedo Nsona Royal Family of Mankessim.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Jonathan Avogo, followed a suit filed on March 5, 2026, by the leadership of the Paakesedo Royal Nsona Family challenging Mr Dickson’s claim to the family headship.
The plaintiffs included Nana Araba Otua II, Obahemaa of the Mankessim Traditional Area and Obaapanyin of the Paakesedo Royal Nsona Family; Nana Akyea Forson, Acting Ebusuapanyin of the family; Amin Iddrisu, Principal Elder; and Efua Atta, Principal Elder and Obaapanyin of Kormantse.
In its ruling, the court declared that Mr Dickson was not the legitimate Ebusuapanyin of the family and further held that transactions undertaken by him after his removal as interim Ebusuapanyin were null and void.
The court also placed a perpetual injunction on Mr Dickson, restraining him from holding any self-ordination ceremony or taking steps to present himself as the legitimate Ebusuapanyin.
He was also barred from parading himself as the family head or engaging in transactions involving family lands.
According to the court, the central issue was whether Mr Dickson had been lawfully nominated and appointed as the substantive head of the family under customary law.
The plaintiffs argued that following the death of the late substantive Ebusuapanyin, Kwame Egyir Baiden, Mr Dickson was appointed only in an interim capacity to oversee the affairs of the family pending the lawful selection of a substantive head.
During cross-examination, Mr Dickson admitted that some family members opposed his nomination as interim Ebusuapanyin, but Nana Araba Otua II insisted that he continued in that role.
Justice Avogo held that the admission supported the plaintiffs’ case that Mr Dickson had never been appointed as the substantive Ebusuapanyin but had only served temporarily.
The court further ruled that any purported confirmation of Mr Dickson as family head in July 2022 could not restore his status unless a fresh nomination and appointment were conducted in accordance with customary law.
Acting head of the family
In arriving at its decision, the court relied on the landmark case Lartey v. Mensah and Dedei & Others (1958) 3 W.A.L.R. 410, which established that the appointment of a family head must be done at a properly constituted family meeting involving all principal elders entitled to participate.
The court reaffirmed that failure to notify all eligible elders renders such an appointment invalid unless the decision is later ratified by those absent.
Following the judgment, Acting Ebusuapanyin of the Paakesedo Royal Nsona Family, Nana Akyea Forson, called on family members and the general public to remain calm and respect the court’s decision.
The family also urged the public to disregard claims presenting Mr Kojo Ankomah Dickson as the legitimate Ebusuapanyin, saying such claims are inconsistent with the High Court’s ruling.
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