The Overlord of the Gbi Traditional Area in the Volta Region, Togbega Gabusu VI, has said Gbis do not have a “King that governs them via Skype from Germany,” contrary to a Daily Mail publication to that effect with reference to one Ngoryifia Togbe Cephas Kosi Bansah.

The UK paper said 67-year-old Ngoryifia Bansah (pictured at his mechanic workshop in Germany) is the superior and spiritual chief of Ewe people of Gbi kingdom in Ghana’s Volta region. According to the paper, Bansah may be a 'king' in his country, but he works as a full-time mechanic in Germany and he governs his people over Skype.

It said Céphas grew up in Ghana, but he moved to Germany in 1970 before he was made a chief and now rules over 300,000 Ewe people. The report said Bansah originally moved to Germany when his grandfather, the then chief, encouraged him to train there as a mechanic.

After finishing his studies and gaining full citizenship, he settled and set up his own garage in Ludwigshafen. He continued living a peaceful life until 1987 when he received a fax which would change his life forever, the Daily Mail added.

“His grandfather, the chief of Hohoe, had died and Bansah's father and eldest brother were deemed unfit to rule because they were left-handed, which the Ewe people considered to be 'unclean'. This meant that Céphas was his grandfather's successor, and the new king,” the paper continued, adding: “He now lives in Ludwigshafen with his wife Gabriele Bansah, 57 and his two children Carlo and Katharina, continuing his job as a mechanic and his role as chief. He uses Skype to govern his people and still visits Ghana up to eight times per year.”

In a rebuttal, however, Togbega Gabusu VI issued a statement saying: “Ignore those shameless publications that make this suggestion. It is not true. The Gbi Traditional Area is not a monarchy and Ngoryifia Cephas Kosi Bansah, who was installed as one of our development chiefs under my authority, is not and cannot be the monarch of Gbi.

“For the second time in less than two years, my attention has been drawn to an international publication that suggests that Cephas Kosi Bansah, also known as Ngoryifia Cephas Kosi Bansah, whom I installed as a development chief of Hohoe, one division of the Gbi Traditional Area, is now the King of Gbi who rules us via Skype from Germany. Please ignore these publications. They aren’t only shameless but disrespectful and dangerous. I will be issuing a detailed press statement shortly, stating the facts of the subject. I hope the Ghanaian media will join me to educate these journalists from Europe who keep ignoring core journalistic principles in their reports about the chieftaincy order of the Gbis and Ewes, which we all know is part of a trend they’ve stuck to as far as their reports on Africa are concerned. Thank you very much and let’s all help develop mother Ghana in truth,” the statement said.