Queen Mother Caged Over Juju Killings

NANA AFIA Korantemaah, queen mother of Akyem-Akooko, and 21 other residents of the town have been remanded into prison custody by the Koforidua Kokoase Magistrate Court 'B' presided over by Abdul Razak Musah. They are to re-appear on October 15, 2015.

The queen mother; the Gyantuahene, Nana Kwasi Botwe; Abusuapanin Foster; the area assembly man, Samuel Kwapong Bekoe; Seth Twum Ampofo and Mama Afua Dede, together with 15 others, were on Wednesday arrested by the Eastern Regional police in connection with the violence that erupted in the town on Tuesday.

The 22 were slapped with four charges of conspiracy to murder, murder, causing damage and causing harm.

Mr Serial, Assistant State Attorney, presenting the facts to the court, said the queen mother, with her four accomplices, last week incited the youth to set the house, two cars and other property belonging to Nana Saka, a fetish priest in the area, on fire after he failed to appear before the chief and the elders of Akyem-Akooko.

They 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.

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, chief of Akooko, 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 fine 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, later 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 ablaze.

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

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

Two counsels for the accused on Thursday stormed the court to seek for bail for them, but their application was not accepted.

Meanwhile, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, who is the lead counsel for the 22 accused persons, has expressed worry about the charges preferred against his clients.

According to him, his outfit would today file a motion at the Koforidua High Court to seek bail for his clients.

The MP has, however, accused the police of being behind the violence, saying that he suspected they had been compromised by the fetish priest.

He said that one of the residents who were killed was shot by followers of the fetish priest, while the others were also shot and killed by the police.

 'It is most embarrassing to learn that the police at Suhum had given some help to the fetish priest, Saka, the man who in my humble opinion is the cause of what has happened in the constituency,' he said.

FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua
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