The age of Priscilla Ofori, the second defendant in the spousal wrangling involving highlife music icon Daddy Lumba, was a subject of discussion at Tuesday’s hearing of a Kumasi High Court.
Counsel for Akosua Serwaa Fosuh suggested to James Beniako Boateng, a witness of the 2nd defendant, Priscilla Ofori, also known as Odo Broni, that the latter entered into a relationship with the late musician when she was 14 years old.
James Boateng, the principal witness, is a tax administrator married to a sister of Odo Broni. He is a native of Apaa near Jamasi in the Ashanti region but resides at Tabora in Accra.
He told the curt that the late musician met the Odo Broni in 2006 when she was a final-year student at Ashley College, a second-cycle school.
Even though he could not tell if Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni were in an amorous relationship, the two went ahead to date for 4 years before finally settling down as a married couple on April 10, 2010.
According to the witness, though Odo Broni enrolled for nursing training at Kings Health College, Daddy Lumba made her stop schooling.
When counsel for the plaintiff asked which year she stopped schooling, the witness said he could not tell which year it was.
Counsel for the plaintiff, William Kusi, in his cross-examination, said Priscilla Ofori and Daddy Lumba were in concubinage in 2006 while she was in school. But the witness could not tell if they were in a relationship.
Counsel for Odo Broni, Kwasi Mensah Nyarko, raised objections to the question since the question had no bearing on whether Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni got married or not.
But William Kusi stood his grounds, insisting his legal team believed there was a mathematical calculation they had to make to solicit their evidence.
The court said the witness could choose to answer the question or not, but the witness said he could not answer.
Counsel for the plaintiff then suggested to the witness that, in 2006, Priscilla Ofori was 14 years old. The witness said he will not agree to that.
According to Counsel William Kusi, Priscilla Ofori’s family felt privileged for having an icon coming into the family, and they agreed to the terms. But the witness said that was not so. The witness will also not agree to counsel’s suggestion that Daddy Lumba relocated to Ghana in 2013.
When asked when exactly the late musician relocated to Ghana, he said he could not tell and that he will not agree to suggestions that the plaintiff, Akosua Serwaa Fosuh, visited Daddy Lumba several times when he relocated to Ghana.
When counsel for the plaintiff sought to solicit his knowledge on where marriage ceremonies are contracted or held under the Akan custom, he answered it is usually held in the woman’s family home. However, in the case of the marriage between Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni, it took place at the musician’s Tantra Hills residence.
According to the witness, Daddy Lumba told the family of Priscilla Ofori at their marriage ceremony at Tantra Hills that his marriage to Akosua Serwaa had been dissolved. This was after the linguist leading Priscilla Ofori’s family inquired about the state of that marriage.
Counsel for Akosua Serwaa sought clarification from the witness on his statement that no video, picture, or media coverage was allowed at the marriage ceremony between Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni.
The witness maintained there was no media coverage allowed. According to a witness, Daddy Lumba’s family was led by the late Abusuapanin Kwame Owusu, a man he identified as having limped in one of his legs; Dr. E.T. Akonnor was also represented as a brother of Daddy Lumba.
But counsel for the plaintiff insisted what happened at Daddy Lumba’s Tantra Hills home in 2010 was a naming ceremony and not a marriage ceremony. But the witness in his cross-examination further stated that it was marriage because it was not until 18 months after that ceremony that she gave birth to his first child in 2011.
For Counsel William Kusi, the witness elected to testify because of the mathematical calculations, an allegation the latter refuted. He further quizzed the witness on when the first child of Odo Broni was born, followed by the exact month in which the child was born. The witness revealed the first child was born in December 2011. Counsel, in reaction to the answers, said the witness got his calculations wrong because April 2010 and December 2011 were not 18 months.
James Beniako Boateng at this point admitted it could be true, a statement that urged counsel for the plaintiff to finally put it to the witness that the date of the alleged marriage was calculated to make Priscilla Ofori look like she was 18 and had reached the marriage date.
The witness said he was in disagreement with counsel’s pleadings because he never mentioned the day Priscilla was born.
The court will rule on the case on Friday.
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