…James Town Stool Priest’s Family Fumes as Justice Delays
The family of the late Nii Ayitey Konko V, the revered stool priest of the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Area in James Town, is demanding urgent answers as the killers of their slain relative remain at large more than a year after his shocking assassination.
On the quiete evening of September 27, 2024, the respected spiritual figure was shot and killed by unknown gunmen at his residence at the Ngleshie Alata stool palace / Mantse-Abonaa, a calculated, cold-blooded attack that sent shockwaves through James Town.
Despite repeated petitions, public outcry, and mounting evidence pointing to known individuals within the community, no one has been publicly arrested or prosecuted for the murder.
The family and elders of Ngleshie Alata strongly believe the killers are part of a group of “thugs and landguards” allegedly linked to Prince Asharku Bruce‑Quaye and his faction a rival claimant to the Ngleshie Alata stool.
According to them, the priest had been receiving repeated death threats before his murder and had even petitioned the police for protection.
They also accuse the then Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Arhin Kwasi Annor — and by extension the security apparatus — of negligence or complicity. They claim that despite formal complaints, no protective action was taken, thus enabling the killing.
The late priest’s family, elders, queen mothers and youth leaders of Ngleshie Alata accuse a group of “armed thugs and landguards” allegedly aligned to a rival stool claimant of masterminding the killing. They claim that Nii Ayitey Konko had been receiving death threats prior to his assassination, threats they say were formally reported to the police, but ignored.
“We will not allow this matter to die quietly. The killers of our priest walk freely in this community while authorities look away,” a furious family spokesperson said in an interview with the Meridian Newspaper.
Family elders have also accused former greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Titus Glover, leader of the Security detail of Former President Akufo Addo Captain Koda as well as certain senior police officers of negligence, interference, and deliberate delay tactics in the investigation. They argue that the failure of law enforcement to act on earlier complaints created the very conditions that enabled the murder.
At the center of the controversy is the James Town stool palace, which the family insists is still occupied by armed individuals believed to be connected to the suspects. Residents say the presence of these men continues to create fear and tension in the community.
“How can justice be served when the very place where the shot was fired is being guarded by the same armed men, we are pointing fingers at?” one elder lamented.
the elders say they have traditional rites they have to perform for the Stool but because of the presence of the thugs and landguards they have not been able to perform the rites they are supposed to do for the Stool.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, elders and youth groups say they are preparing to petition the President, insisting on a full and independent investigation into the murder, immediate removal of “landguards and thugs” from the stool palace, accountability from police officers accused of failing to act and arrest and prosecution of all suspects connected to the attack.
They warn that continued silence from authorities risks escalating community tension and undermining respect for traditional leadership structures and peaceful co-existence.
More than a year since the bullets that ended the life of Nii Ayitey Konko V, the question still echoes across James Town. Where are the killers?
As of now no confirmed arrests or prosecutions have been announced by the authorities, and the names of the perpetrators remain unknown publicly.
Until the perpetrators are brought to justice, the family insists, the spirit of the slain priest and the dignity of the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Area will not rest.
