The Manhyia Palace has fined Kofi Owusu, the Abusuapayin (family head) of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba, after he failed to contest the Great Oath (Ntamkɛse) invoked by the musician’s elder sister, Ernestina Akosua Bimpomaa.
The fine, consisting of two sheep, underscores the growing tension between traditional authority and legal proceedings surrounding the late musician’s ongoing marital dispute.
The issue began on October 28, 2025, when Akosua Serwaa, identified as Daddy Lumba’s first wife, challenged the legal recognition of her marriage in court.
Following the court session, Lumba’s sister, Ernestina Bimpomaa, invoked the Great Oath of the Asantehene, a sacred traditional act that immediately transfers jurisdiction from the court to the Manhyia Palace.
By custom, the invocation of the Great Oath automatically halts all legal processes, as the case must now be heard and resolved under Asante traditional law.
During a traditional hearing presided over by the Saamanhene and other chiefs at the palace, Abusuapayin Kofi Owusu was fined two sheep for failing to contest the oath.
The chiefs explained that the animals would be used for purification rites to cleanse any spiritual effects that may arise from invoking the oath and to prevent potential misfortune among the parties involved.
The chiefs further reminded both families that once the Great Oath has been invoked, no court has the authority to continue hearing the case, as it falls strictly under Manhyia’s jurisdiction.
The ongoing dispute, which intertwines legal and traditional dimensions, continues to draw public attention as the Manhyia Palace navigates the delicate process of resolving matters surrounding the late musician’s marital and family legacy.
