One person is reported dead and several injured in a chieftaincy clash in Kato, a village in the Berekum municipality this morning, Monday, 23rd May, 2016. This is as a result of plans by the Minimini royal family to install a chief in Kato. It agitated the Nneantene family to protest vehemently against it, because they say, there is already a chief in Kato, who indeed is from the Nneantene Royal family.
Calm is reported to have come to the town after police intervention.
All of this come as a result of a protracted chieftaincy dispute about who occupies the stool as chief of the Kato traditional area, following the death of the Nana Kwadwo Kyere, who hailed from the Minimini Royal Family.
In an attempt to find a replacement for the past chief, the late Nana Kwadwo Kyere, the Nneantene Royal Family of Kato, who felt it was their turn to occupy the stool, approached the Queen, Nana Afia Sraah Ababio II, to get the royal nominated to occupy the Kato stool. In the process, a member of the family, Kwabena Adutwum was presented to the Queen for consideration through the Odikro of Nanasuano, Nana Osei Amankwaah, who lead and did the necessary rituals as custom demands.
After waiting for a while, without a reply from the Queen of Kato, the Nneantene Royal felt she was delaying unreasonably, thus, on June 24, 2013, they installed Dan Kwadwo Kyeremeh as Chief of Kato under the stool name, Nana Amankona Feniri Amoayi II without the prior consent of the Queen.
The action of the Nneantene Royal Family was considered by the Queen as a gross affront and contemptuous to her authority, she hence nominated another person from the Minimini Royal Family, in the person of Owusu Ansah, to be installed as the chief of Kato, who was supposed to be enstooled today, but has resulted in a chaotic clash resulting in serious casualties.
