KNUST Land Case: Oral Statement to the United Nations

This oral statement by Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu at the 23rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) presents the evidence at the heart of the landmark case Benimasi-Boadi v. KNUST (Suit No. ASH/ADK/HC/E1/177/25), currently before the High Court in Kumasi, Ghana.

The case concerns 1,298.33 acres of ancestral land belonging to the Indigenous Benimasi-Boadi community in Ghana's Ashanti Region. These lands were never part of the original government acquisition that formed KNUST; the community's allodial title is unencumbered and has never been lawfully extinguished. Despite having no legal basis to be on this land, KNUST has been actively encroaching upon and selling portions of it — which encompass the sacred burial grounds and cultural heritage site of Oheneyere Huahi Yaa Achama Tutuwaa, spouse of Asantehene Osei Tutu I — to private third parties.

In this address, Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu appeals to the United Nations for protection against the alleged illegal seizure of the community's 16th-century ancestral lands. He details a pattern of systemic harassment, including a direct threat from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and an account of being tortured for six days in police custody for his activism. The statement calls for international support to hold traditional councils accountable and to uphold the Land Act of 2020 against judicial interference.

The High Court trial is scheduled for 21 October 2026. The suit seeks a judicial declaration, permanent prohibition and cancellation of KNUST's title affecting the heritage site, and full damages.