The Wasipe Traditional Council has petitioned Ghana’s Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Armah Kofi Buah, to urgently intervene in what it describes as a fraudulent land demarcation attempt by a self-styled group calling itself the “Tampulma Traditional Council.”
According to the petition, the alleged demarcation was carried out without the knowledge or consent of the legitimate custodians of the land, the Wasipe Traditional Council, which is headquartered in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region under the leadership of the Wasipewura. The Council warned that such acts pose a serious national security threat to the Savannah Region and the country.
In the petition, the Wasipe Traditional Council tabled five key demands to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister:
1. Immediate halt to any land registration or demarcation processes involving the disputed acreage.
2. Formal investigation into the issuance of the cadastral map and the role of officials involved.
3. Directive to the Savannah Regional Lands Commission to work exclusively with established traditional authorities.
4. Referral of potential breaches of professional conduct to the appropriate legal bodies.
5. Swift action to prevent escalation of tensions in the affected communities.
The petition was formally presented and read to the press by Chief Tandapewura Alhaji Amin at the forecourt of the Wasipewura Palace on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The event drew chiefs, youth, and women groups, as well as some Tampulma chiefs, signaling widespread concern over the issue.
The Wasipe Traditional Council has called on the government to take decisive steps to safeguard peace, uphold due process, and protect the integrity of land administration in the Savannah Region.
Read the detailed statement below.
30th September, 2025.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources
Accra, Ghana
Dear Hon. Minister,
PETITION AGAINST UNLAWFUL LAND DEMARCATION AND FRAUDULENT
PARAMOUNTCY CLAIMS IN WASIPE TRADITIONAL AREA
We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the Wasipe Traditional Council under the authority of the
Wasipewura and the larger Gonja Kingdom, respectfully submit this urgent petition to your office regarding an alarming and unlawful attempt to usurp our traditional lands through fictitious claims and
unauthorized demarcations, allegedly sponsored by a self-styled group calling itself the “Tampulma
Traditional Council.”
We are compelled to bring this matter to your attention due to the serious legal, customary, and social
implications it poses to the peace and cohesion of the Wasipe Traditional Area and the Savannah Region
as a whole.
ILLEGAL DEMARCATION AND SURVEY OF 1,079,170 ACRES OF LAND
It has come to our attention that a group purporting to represent the so-called “Tampulma Traditional Council” has engaged in an unlawful demarcation exercise involving 1,079,170.11 acres of land within
The clearly established and allodially-owned Wasipe Traditional Area, which stretches from the Tachali River to Belle and Kandia on the western bank of the White Volta.
Shockingly, we have obtained credible information, including a cadastral map survey allegedly approved by Surveyor Abdulai Fuseini on 16th September 2025, showing this vast land parcel being falsely mapped under the name of “Tampulma Traditional Council” without the knowledge or consent of the legitimate custodians of the land, the Wasipe Traditional Council.
This is a flagrant violation of Ghana’s land governance laws and customary land tenure systems, and we
Demand immediate action.
FRAUDULENT PARAMOUNTCY CLAIM
On 21st December 2023, a group using the name “Tampulma Traditional Council” submitted a petition to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi seeking recognition as a paramountcy, a claim that lacks any historical, customary, or legal foundation within the structure of the Gonja Kingdom or the Savannah region.
This claim represents a dangerous and historical fabrication, as the Tampulmas were an acephalous group assimilated under the authority of the Gonja Kingdom centuries ago by Ndewura Jakpa. While they have peacefully coexisted within the Gonja Kingdom, they have never held an allodial title or customary authority over any part of Wasipe land.
VIOLATION OF CUSTOMARY AND LEGAL LAND RIGHTS
Hon. Minister, we respectfully remind your office that:
Customary land ownership in Ghana is vested in the allodial titleholders in this case, the Wasipewura and ultimately, the Yagbonwura, King and Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom.
Ghana’s laws do not permit the creation of new traditional authorities or boundaries outside of constitutionally and customarily recognized procedures.
The so-called “Tampulma Traditional Council” is not recognized by the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs or the National House of Chiefs.
REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
We therefore respectfully petition your office to:
Immediately halt any ongoing land registration, demarcation, or recognition process involving the
1,079,170.11 acres purportedly claimed by the so-called Tampulma Traditional Council within the Wasipe Traditional Area.
Launch a formal investigation into the issuance of the cadastral map and the role of Surveyor Abdulai Fuseini and other public officials who may have acted without due diligence or lawful authority.
Instruct the Savannah Regional Lands Commission and allied agencies to recognize only established
traditional authorities in their dealings, and to work directly with the Wasipe Traditional Council and the
Gonja Traditional Council on all land matters within Gonjaland
Refer any breaches of professional conduct or potential criminal collusion in this matter to the
appropriate legal and regulatory bodies for swift action.
A WORD OF PEACE AND WARNING
The Wasipe Traditional Council is committed to peace, legality, and national unity. However, we will not sit idly by while our ancestral lands and history are distorted or unlawfully claimed.
We reserve the
right to:
Pursue legal redress in the courts of Ghana;
Petition relevant traditional, constitutional, and governmental authorities;
Invoke traditional processes to protect our lands and people;
Respond with minimum lawful force if provoked or threatened.
Honourable Minister, as Ghana strives for peaceful coexistence and proper land governance, we urge
Your leadership in intervening promptly and decisively to avert any potential escalation of tensions.
We are available at your earliest convenience for a meeting to provide further documentation and clarification on this matter.
Yours respectfully,
Signed,
Jantonwura Peter Awusi Yakubu
Secretary, Wasipe Traditional Council
(On behalf of the Wasipewura and the Wasipe Traditional Area)
Signed;
Yazoriwura
Singned
Tandawura,Alhaji Mohammed Amin
CC:
His Majesty the Yagbonwura, Overlord of the Gonja
Office of the President
Jubilee House, Accra
Savannah Regional Minister, Damongo
Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Accra
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Accra
The President, National House of Chiefs
Kumasi
National Security Coordinator
The Coordinator, NIB
Savannah Regional House of Chiefs
Gonja Traditional Council
MP. Daboya /Mankarigu
District Chief Executive
North Gonja
Regional Lands Officer, Savannah Region
Survey and Mapping Division, Lands Commission
Ghana Police Service – Savannah Region
55 Armoured Regiment, Damongo
Regional Security Council
Savannah Region
District Security Council
North Gonja, Daboya
The President, Gonjaland Youth Association
Post a Comment