Paramount Chief of the Aflao traditional area, Torgbi Amenya Fiti V, has been hauled before the judicial committee of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs to answer allegations of illegal occupancy of the Paramount Stool of the traditional area.

The Afla Awunor-Detu family and kingmakers of Aflao, who filed a petition at the house against Torgbi Fiti, are laying claim to the Paramount Stool of Aflao, saying they are the rightful owners and heirs to the stool.

They are therefore praying the judicial committee of the house to annul Torgbi Fiti's claim to the Paramountcy and strip him of the chieftaincy title.

Spokesperson for the family, Christopher Korbla Ahiagba, said in an interview that: "we the Afla Awunor-Detu family are the rightful and legal heirs to the Aflao Paramount Stool; in fact, our forefathers found the Aflao kingdom, hence the name "Afla" from which Aflao derived its present name. Torgbi Afla Awunor-Detu IX had gone through all the necessary rites of passage and had been duly and traditionally enstooled as the rightful Chief of Aflao by the Anlo traditional council pending his official gazette and induction into the house of Chiefs. We are only treading cautiously in the interest of peace and security in the traditional area, but as of now things have gotten out of hand as the traditional area is suffering under this illegal occupancy," Ahiagba said.

He said the Afla Awunor-Detu family, after carefully deliberating on the issue, took the decision to file the complaint at the house for a change in the status quo.

Ahiagba said Torgbi Fiti had been illegally occupying the Paramount Stool for the past 25 years, following the death of his late father, Torgbi Amemaka Fiti IV, who he said also occupied the throne illegally.

He was hopeful that the Volta Regional House of Chiefs would conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter before it and uphold their plea as contained in their petition.

The case is currently before the judicial committee of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and is expected to be heard on Tuesday, June 13, in Ho.