Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, President of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council, has asked traditional authorities involved in land disputes in the Ellembelle District to withdraw their cases from the law courts for amicable settlements at the council. According to the Paramount Chief, many of the chiefs in Ellembelle were involved in land litigation which was a setback to the peace and development of the area. Awulae Kpanyinli III speaking during the first Traditional Council meeting of the year at Atuabo in the Western Region, said the chiefs' involvement in land litigation was a setback for the peace and development of the area, hence, the need for them to bring such cases to the traditional council for expedited resolution. He said many of the traditional rulers under his jurisdiction could not attend traditional council meetings due to court cases over land disputes. That, he said, impacted collective planning by the chiefs for the development of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area. Awulae Kpanyinli III called on chiefs, who were in court over land issues to withdraw such cases and resort to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism for the Traditional Council to adjudicate such cases. Queen Mother of Basake, Nana Aba, advised the chiefs to be guided by their land maps to avoid potential misunderstandings among them. Nana Akye Blay, Chief of Menzezor, thanked Awulae Kpanyinli III for making land litigation issue a priority, and appealed to his fellow chiefs to follow the footsteps of their forebears in respect of land boundaries. Nana Bonya Kofi, Chief of Basake, appealed to the judicial committee at the traditional council to expedite action on land cases before the council in the interest of peace and development in the area. Source: Ghana News Agency