Akokoo Queen Mother Arrested

Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander, ASP James Abass Abaa with the Eastern Regional Minister addressing the media

NANA AFIA Korantemaah, the queen mother of Akyem-Akokoo; Gyantuahene Nana Kwasi Botwe; Abusuapanin Foster; the area assembly man, Samuel Kwapong Bekoe; Seth Twum Ampofo and Mama Afua Dede have been arrested by the Eastern Regional police in connection with the violence that erupted in the area on Tuesday.

The queen mother and her four alleged accomplices, together with 15 others,   are currently in police custody assisting in investigations.

The five suspects were apprehended at the chief's palace when the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, together with the East Akim Municipal Chief Executive, Peter Simeon Asirifi, was in a meeting with the chief and the community elders.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that Mr Atta Akyea and the NPP constituency executives were led by the assembly man, Mr Bekoe, to the chief's palace for the meeting.

The chief’s linguist, briefing the MP and the MCE, hinted that “The fetish priest, Nana Saka, disobeyed the chief and his elders so he was summoned but he refused to honour the summon and instead called the Suhum police to protect him. The action of Nana Saka and the police was so annoying that the youth couldn’t hold their anger any longer, so they decided to storm his house and bring him to the chief and his elders for peaceful deliberations. Upon seeing the youth from afar, Nana Saka fired a gun which hit one lady and that gingered the youth on to set his cars and house ablaze. So this resulted in a confrontation between the armless youth and the armed police officers.”

He added that just then a man, whose son is also receiving medical attention, rushed into the palace in tears to say that Nana Saka and the police came to the hospital to take his son away.

According to the linguist, “On Tuesday night the police came to the hospital to lure the nurses to inject the boy to death but the nurses refused and this resulted in a confrontation between them.”

Before the meeting with the MP came to an end, over 50 police officers, led by the Suhum crime officer, surrounded the chief's palace and arrested the queen mother and the five others.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that Nana Saka last week marked an anniversary and during the activities he and his followers carried their gods and paraded through the community, incurring the wrath of Barima Bempong Agyedoa Pantantina, who summoned him to appear before the chiefs and elders for causing an abomination.

The paper learnt that the chief fined Nana Saka to offer one cow, two cartons of foreign Schnapps and an amount of GH¢20,000 (¢200 million), and that after he had presented all those things, he should vacate the town.

However, Nana Saka, who reportedly promised to pay the fines on Tuesday, refused to appear before the traditional rulers and rather went to the Suhum police station to report the matter.

The Suhum Police Commander, Supt Yahaya Muchiraru, visited the chief's palace to hold talks with him and the elders; but the action rather infuriated the people, with the queen mother purportedly ordering the youth to besiege the fetish priest's house and set the place on fire.

Followers of the fetish priest also reportedly fired gunshots into the demonstrating crowd, resulting in a free-for-all fight, with the factions allegedly using machetes and other lethal weapons.

The angry youth allegedly vandalised Nana Saka's shrine and the police started firing tear gas to scare the protesting youth.

MP Visits Families
Samuel Atta Akyea, who was worried about the incident, visited the families of the victims with the NPP constituency executives to sympathise with them.

Mr Atta Akyea, addressing the media, accused the police of being in bed with the fetish priest and called for independent investigations into the matter.

He promised to seek bail for the 23 persons arrested.

Meanwhile, the mother of one of the deceased persons, Abena Ofiriwaa, is demanding justice for her 20-year-old son, a JHS graduate who is alleged to have been shot.

Tension
Tension is currently mounting in the community as majority of the youth have bolted while shops have been closed.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that security personnel have been deployed to the town to maintain law and order.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Antwi Boasiako Sekyere and the Deputy Regional Police Commander, James Abass Abaah, also visited the community to assess the situation.

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FROM Daniel Bampoe, Akyem Akokoo