The Duamenefa Foundation of Fafaa 100.3 Fm, Dzodze, under the leadership of the Executive President and CEO, Mr. Emmanuel Ketaman Evortepe, is thoroughly continuing its investigation into the ongoing chieftaincy disputes at Atsiame in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region.
It would be recalled in a petitioned addressed to the foundation by Madam Dzorgbeshie Tetteh, the mother of Togbi Gblonya III, a victim of allegations of spiritual manipulation and orchestration by the stool gods, that one Fiatowoli Gblonya have been installed on the same chieftaincy stool title known as the Gblonya Stool, both claiming the same title, Torgbui Gblonya III.
According to the petition received by the Foundation, Madam Dzorgbeshie alleged that her son had fallen ill and begun exhibiting unusual behavior, including excessive drinking and signs of instability. Some family members suspect that the ongoing chieftaincy conflict within the Gblonya family may be spiritually linked to his condition.
The Duamenefa Foundation has since begun a detailed investigation to unravel the mysteries behind these allegations
During the Duamenefa Programme hosted by Abass Seidu, the Foundation moved into a new phase of its investigation by reaching out to the traditional rulers who have previously handled aspects of the dispute. As part of this process, the investigative team visited the palace of Torgbui Dala Anini IV, the Divisional Chief of Tsiame , to listen to the palace’s version of the story.
Speaking on behalf of Torgbui Dala Anini IV, the palace secretary, Mr. George Kuebutornye, explained that the palace had earlier received a letter from Mr. George Gblonya, a member of the Gblonya family. In the letter, Mr. Gblonya alleged that a piece of land under the Gblonya Stool had been taken over Fiatorwoli Gblonya, who was using it exclusively for himself and his children. He further claimed that this situation had deepened divisions in the Gblonya family and might even be spiritually connected to the illness of Torgbui Gblonya III.
Mr. Kuebutornye disclosed that Mr. Fiatorwoli Gblonya, also occupies the same stool title as Torgbui Gblonya III. Following these allegations, Torgbui Dala Anini IV sent a messenger to summon the concerned parties — Mr. Fiatorwoli Gblonya, Mr. Felix Butame, and Mr. Korkutse Gblonya — to appear before his palace for a peaceful resolution.
As part of the palace hearing, Mr. Fiatorwoli Gblonya was the first to be invited, and he appeared before the panel together with his children. He told the panel that he was the first person to be installed on the Gblonya Chieftaincy Stool. At the time, he was living in Accra when he allegedly suffered a spiritual attack from the stool. According to him, the attack caused him to harm himself with a knife, leaving a deep scar on his stomach. This was shown to the panel as evidence.
Mr. Fiatorwoli stated that when the family consulted the oracle concerning the incident, it was revealed that the Gblonya stool itself was responsible and demanded that he should be installed as the rightful chief. Following this revelation, the family introduced him to the stool in the form of an initiation while they were preparing to raise funds for the full installation. However, before the process could be completed, another faction within the family allegedly changed the plan and decided to install a different person, claiming that Mr. Fiatorwoli did not attend university. He added that the person installed in his place later fell ill.
Responding to the land issue, Mr. Fiatorwoli Gblonya refuted the claims that the said land belonged to the stool, explaining that it was land given to him personally by the family for farming purposes and not a property of the stool. The palace panel listened to his testimony and subsequently invited the other parties — Mr. Felix Butame and Mr. Korkutse Gblonya — to present their accounts for further clarification.
When Mr. Felix Butame and Mr. Korkutse Gblonya appeared before the panel, they were questioned about the land dispute. Mr. Felix Butame stated that the land in question is indeed reserved for the Gblonya family chieftaincy stool, meant to be used by whoever occupies the stool, and that the sitting chief is responsible for its management.
Mr. Korkutse Gblonya, on his part, explained that Mr. Fiatorwoli Gblonya is his brother, and the two lived together in Accra before Fiatorwoli began showing signs of spiritual disturbance. After consulting the oracles, it was revealed that the Gblonya stool was spiritually disturbing him, leading to his introduction to the stool gods and preparations for his installation as chief. However, before the process could be completed, the family changed the arrangement and installed another person.
He further told the panel that after his brother learned of the family’s decision, he, Korkutse, approached his brother to help summon the family for acting against him, but Mr. Fiatorwoli showed no interest in doing so. Korkutse further alleged that his brother’s disinterest was because he was already using the land for farming, so he did not take the family’s actions seriously until the tension began to rise.
The secretary to Togbi Dalla Aneni further claimed, after hearing from all sides, the palace panel fixed a date for the parties to return for judgment. However, on the appointed day, none of the parties appeared before the palace. The panel nevertheless proceeded to deliver its judgment based on the evidence and testimonies presented.
According to the ruling, the panel stated that after careful investigation, it had established that the disputed land indeed belongs to the Gblonya Chieftaincy Stool. It therefore directed Mr. Fiatorwoli Gblonya to vacate the land or meet with Torgbui Gblonya for a peaceful resolution on the way forward. The judgment also indicated that Mr. George Gblonya, who wrote the initial petition, should also vacate the land, as investigations revealed he was using portions of it for cattle rearing. Both parties were instructed to consult Torgbui Gblonya for further direction.
The panel further declared that since one person has already been duly installed as Torgbui Gblonya III, he should remain in office, while the kingmakers meet to deliberate on how best to resolve the matter concerning the other individual who was not fully installed.
After the delivery of this judgment by Torgbui Dala Anini IV, Mr. George Gblonya once again wrote to the palace, appealing for reconciliation within the family, stating that ongoing conflict still existed. In response, Torgbui Dala invited the family head for discussions, but the head expressed fear of returning to the community and requested that the meeting be held in Accra. Torgbui Dala subsequently arranged transportation for the family members to travel to Accra to meet their family head and discuss the matter further.
During the meeting in Accra, the family resolved to seek spiritual guidance through divination. The diviners’ findings revealed that the Gblonya Chieftaincy Stool had been spiritually desecrated and required specific rituals and reconciliation processes to restore it. The deities reportedly indicated that once the rituals were performed and harmony restored, Torgbui Gblonya III would regain his health. The family has since begun contributing money toward the necessary ritual rites to perform the cleansing and reconciliation ceremonies.
The Duamenefa Foundation continues to monitor the situation closely as part of its mission to promote peace, justice, and social harmony within communities. The Foundation remains committed to uncovering the facts behind the Atsiame chieftaincy disputes and supporting peaceful reconciliation in the Gblonya family.
By Hutor Dziwornu, Fafaa 100.3 FM, Dzodze