Police in the Eastern Region have stepped up their presence in Apedwa following an attempt by a faction to install a new chief for the area.

Reports gathered by ClassFMonline.com say the police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered to inaugurate new chief, ?dehye? Yaw Ofosu Boadu.

Eighteen people – some suspected to be landguards from Kasoa – have been arrested and were arraigned before the Mpraeso Circuit Court on Monday. Each accused person was granted a GHS8,000 bail.

A chieftaincy dispute has raged in Apedwa since the death of the chief of the town, Osabarima Obenakwah Kwafira II. A faction had tried to enstool ?dehye? Yaw Ofosu Boadu on Sunday, but the police arrived at the venue in time to thwart the ceremony, an intervention that did not go down well with Odehyee Yaw Ofosu Boadu’s supporters, who tried to attack the police.

But the police reacted by hurling tear gas at the crowd, as well as scuttling the installation.

The kingmakers of Apedwa, who have the customary duty of naming a chief for the area, say that a candidate for the stool will soon be made known to the public.

In an interview with Starr News, spokesman for the royal family ?dehyee Obiri Yeboah said even though Odehyee Yaw Ofosu Boadu is royal, customary procedures were not followed in naming and installing him as chief.

According to him, the paramount chief of the Akyem Abuakwa Tradional Area, Okyehene AMoatia Ofori Panin II, was unaware of the planned enstoolment of ?dehye? Yaw Ofosu Boadu, a violating of a basic requirement before the inauguration of any Akyem chief.

The Abuakwa Traditional Council, under which Apedwa falls, has issued a press statement, saying it regards the intended installation of Odehyee Yaw Ofosu Boadu as a customary violation for which reason it is urging the police to ensure that the purported installation of the chief is prevented from going ahead in order to forestall violence in the area.