Antoa Nyamaa strikes

The powerful river god, "Antoa Nyamaa', which the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Daniel Ohene Agyekum, invoked in the run-up to last December's elections, has begun to fulfill its part of the bargain, reports reaching The Statesman indicate.

The man who led some NDC capos to the shrine, Admiral Owusu Ansah, a native of Antoa, was purported to be the first to incur the wrath of the river god, struck dead a few days after he was named as interim head of the Defence Ministry.

Not long after, a sister of the deceased, Ama Akyaa, who was part of the team who reportedly went to perform certain rituals at the Antoa shrine, also passed away under mysterious circumstances.

Also in the chain of personalities marked for the wrath of the powerful god to be visited on is the man who invoked its (god"s) spirit, Daniel Ohene Agyekum, our sources say.

He is currently bedridden in his house near the Ridge School in Kumasi, although no independent evidence exists linking his present state of health to the deity.

But tongues continue to wag.
Sources close to the shrine intimated that the river god was only carrying out the wish of those who consulted it - kill all those who perpetrated fraud in the December 2008 general elections or falsely accused others of rigging.

At his infamous press conference before the polls, Ohene Agyekum, invoked curses on any person or group of persons who would engage in violence or election rigging, and called on the river god to strike such persons dead. He offered two eggs and a bottle of Schnapps to seal the deal.

The Ashanti NDC boss defended the move on several radio stations after the press conference, insisting he was convinced no one in the NDC would fall foul of the bargain.

Former President Rawlings has on numerous occasions dared anybody who challenged his position on any national issue to submit him or herself to the powers of the river god, although he has had no known takers.

The sources told The Statesman that many such mysterious deaths were bound to follow if the NDC did not go back to the shrine to revoke the curse immediately.

Ohene Agyekum was highly tipped to be the Chief of Staff in Prof Mills' government but he reportedly declined the position when he was named. He has also been named as a possible envoy.