By Grace Zigah
The family of the late Charles Kwadwo Fosu—popularly known as Daddy Lumba—has found itself entangled in a traditional controversy after the invocation of the revered “Great Oath” (Ntam Kɛseɛ) of the Asantehene during a family legal battle.
The Manhyia Palace has fined the family head, Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, two sheep for failing to respond to the ritual invocation, which is considered a highly sacred and binding act in Asante custom.
The issue stems from an ongoing court case between two women—Akosua Serwaa, believed to be Lumba’s first wife, and Ernestina Akosua Bimpomaa, his sister—over the late musician’s estate and the question of who should be recognized as his lawful spouse.
During proceedings at the Kumasi High Court on October 28, 2025, tensions escalated when Bimpomaa dramatically invoked the Ntam Kɛseɛ, summoning divine intervention from the Asantehene himself to attest to the truth of her claims.
Under Asante tradition, invoking the Great Oath is one of the most solemn and dangerous acts within the kingdom.
It automatically halts any civil or judicial proceedings and transfers the matter to the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Asantehene, for traditional adjudication.
The oath is believed to call upon powerful ancestral spirits, and breaking or ignoring it is said to attract severe spiritual consequences.
Following the invocation, the case was referred to Manhyia, where the Saamanhene and a panel of chiefs presided over a special traditional hearing.
During the session, Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, who serves as the head of the Lumba family, was fined two sheep—a customary sanction meant to cleanse and pacify the spirits offended by the unchallenged invocation.
The animals, according to palace sources, will be used for purification rites to nullify the spiritual effects of the oath and restore harmony among the disputing parties.
Traditional leaders at the hearing emphasized that while the invocation of the Great Oath carries spiritual weight, it should not be used lightly, particularly in domestic or civil disputes.
They noted that in Lumba’s case, the invocation was an overreach that unnecessarily drew the matter into sacred territory reserved for grave offenses such as treason, betrayal, or the spilling of royal blood.
