A cross-section of youth at Takinta near Half Assini in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region, have expressed wary at the posture of Chief of the town, Nana Hema Sense III known in private life as Mr. Bonza Nwere which they describe as a gross violation of human rights.
According to them, most of the youth in the town are living in a state of insecurity due to what they term draconian laws imposed on them by the chief.
Speaking to GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent Daniel Kaku at Takinta, leader of the youth group, Mr. Miezah Nyarko said elders of the town have set up a Waybill Committee of which he is a member to safeguard coconut farmers from rampant stealing of dried coconuts by some disgruntled youth in the town who have no coconut farms.
The Waybill Committee is mandated by the chief and elders of the town to issue out receipts after payment of their waybill to farmers with bonafide coconut farms any time they bring their produce from the farm.
Money realised out of the Waybill will be channelled into developmental projects and the provision of social amenities for the community.
Mr. Nyarko lamented that when some thugs stole dried coconuts from his farm, watchdog members from the Waybill Committee refused to arrest them even though he caught them red-handed.
He lamented that the Waybill Committee rather sold the coconuts seized from the thieves and left them without giving the money to him.
To this end, he vowed before the committee not to pay any Waybill for bringing his coconut to town for sale.
On account of this, the Waybill Committee, with instructions from the chief of the town, gave an ultimatum that he and his family cannot fetch water from the borehole in the town.
Speaking in an interview at the palace, spokesperson to the Chief, Egya Mande confirmed the story to GhanaWeb.
He said the Chief, together with his elders, and the Waybill Committee had enacted laws that ban coconut farmers who refuse to pay the Waybill from selling their coconut in the town.
He said self-initiated projects in the town are financed through proceeds from the Waybill.
Egya Mande said the chief was ready to settle disputes in the town if the parties involved were also ready for amicable settlement.
He also confirmed that the chief caused the arrest of a young man called Eba Keto for playing tapes that sought to denigrate the image of the chief in public.
Chief of Takinta, Nana Hema Sense III