THE SAKAWA STORY THAT NEVER WAS- NYANSABOAKWA SPEAKS TO AMERICA

Ghanaians love great stories and sensational news. So when the story about some four young men whose desire for massive wealth turned disastrous leading to two of them turning into snakes broke out in Ghana, the whole country was turned upside down and many people especially young women and parents went panicky. The story which later became known as the SAKAWA SNAKE BOYS was quickly reported by the country's 156 community radio stations as well as other mass media outlets.

The story was so sensational that when many of the Ghanaian Diaspora media houses reported and discussed them, some of the international media houses replicated them. But for one hard working investigative journalist and presenter, Nyansaboakwa of Accra based HOT FM radio, whose smart thinking and intensive knowledge about paranormal activities and how things work spiritually regarding the Sakawa story, Ghanaians would have taken the story at its face value and digest them whole without asking questions.

The result of his investigation is what led to the arrest of an individual, a supposedly Moslem spiritualist ( Malam) known as Malam Fatau. He is alleged to have made up the story to deceive the general public, raised false alarm and caused panic in Ghana. Since Ghanaians in Diaspora always want to hear real news from its original source, the anxiety and curiosity of the Ghanaian Diaspora to get a first hand details has been long in coming. It is against this background that a Ghanaian contemporary media house based in Northern Virginia,USA. Highlife Radio Inc. and a cultural and development non-profit, the International Center for African Culture & Arts,USA; arranged for NYANSABOAKWA, the man whose investigation brought out the truth to give a live vivid account about the whole SAKAWA SNAKE STORY that never was.

Highlife Radio Inc. is a new online radio station, still in its test transmission period but listeners will attest to the fact that the station is building a great listening enthusiasts and loyals. Among some of their interesting programs are PAE MUKA ( A political discussion show) hosted by Wofa Yaw also held on saturdays from 11:00am- 2:00pm;MBAA MFA ADWEN-A program that discusses everything about Marriage, Women and Children with the versatile presenter Honorable Obaayaa.

Nyansaboakwa appeared live from Ghana on Highlife Radio's community educational program, ABROKYIRE NKOMO hosted by the outsanding presenter, Nananom Nana Kwame Nketia at 2pm USA time.

"Nyansaboakwa is marvelous" was a response from one listener who sent a text message from Georgia after the show. A professor of African Studies in England, Dr. Ignatius Kofi Amevu commended Nyansaboakwa as being knowlegeable in his chosen career and for his great work in bringing out the truth. Another listener wrote " Nyansaboakwa is the face of new age investigative journalism and quality programming in Ghana".

Nyansaboakwa started his story live on air from Ghana in his usual charismatic and unique style with a powerful prayer and greetings. He went on to introduce himself talking about his background and about his current career.
He spoke so much with creativity, flair, authority and in an engaging way that we believed that many listeners might have fallen in love with his style of presentation. He continued to narrate about how the whole Sakawa story emerged, how his team at NSEM PII undertook their investigations, the accusations of conspiracy theories and the diplomatic methodologies that later led to the whole truth being unravelled, the summary of the story reproduced from a Police report on the case is reposted below from our last posting on this bloc.

"The complainant in this case is a Ghana journalist and media personnel in the person of Wisdom (NYANSABOAKWA of HOT FM) while Mallam Fatau aged 27 is and a resident of Ablekuma a surburb of Accra.

On 24th day of July 2009, the complainant who was logging on the internet for human interest stories, found a story about four men whose desire for instant wealth led them to a shrine of a fetish priest whose name was only identifed as Nana Ogya of Aburi New Town in the Easten region. That the two wealth seeking men had turned into snakes and out of fear the other two associates also became deaf and dump soon after it was disclosed to them about their brothers situation.

The next day there ware some publications in the newspapers in Ghana and outside Ghana that the accused claimed the two deaf and dump and the two reptiles have been brought to him at Ablekuma a surburb of Accra to cure them and also change the other reptiles back to normal human being.

The accused came on some ratio stations saying that he had cured the two deaf and dump boys by name FILCO and GORO to normal human being.There were some publications in different types of calenders which the accused picture were displayed inside, including the deaf and dump boys whiles the snakes supposedly vomitted dollars were also displayed in the calenders.

The complainant using his special training in investigative journalism pursued the case and later noted tha there was no truth in the story and therefore reported the case to the police CID Heardquarters in Accra.

During investigations the police whent to Aburi in the Eastern region and contacted some prominent community leaders including the cheif of Aburi and the Chief Fetish Priest respectively and found to his dismay that there was no fetish preist by the name Nana Ogya whom people had consulted him for any ritual and there was no place called ABURI NEW TOWN.

The investigation further led the police to Sekyikrom, a suburb of Nsawam in the Easten Region where it was revealed that the two boys who were described in the calender as Filco and Yaw Goro were farm assistants( labourers) to one Jeo Tapolie a native of Sakyikrom.It was revealed that the boys trapped the two snakes in their farm sometime in July 2009 and brought the two snakes which the long one among them was dead.

They displayed them at Sakyikrom Taxi Rank and when they were questioned by some people at Sakyikrom,They told them that they were going to sell them to some Chinese men who are road contractors at Nsawam.According to the chief of Sakyikrom he saw the two boys pictures appeared in different calendars indicating that they went for ritual money and were turned into deaf and dumb. The information recieved was that the two boys have fled from the town to an unknown place.Strenuous efforts are being made to trace them to assist in the investigations.

The two snakes which the accused alleged are human beings and have and have turned into a snake are still lying in a small box in the suspect's consulting room at Ablekuma.When the accused was asked to produce the relatives,addresses or telephone numbers of the people who brought the boys and the two snakes to him to be cured,he could not produce any.He could not also able to produce the dollars allegedly vomited by the snakes.

We want to inform the general public that the story was a calculated attempt to create panic and unnecessary anxiety in the country.No human was turned into snake."

COMMENTS FROM PREKESE MEDIA:
According to Nyansaboakwa, Malam Fatau is very popular in Ghana for his regular appearance on FM stations to promote his divine and alternative healing services. He has had the opportunity to speak live on an online radio station that caters for Ghanaians in UK sometime ago and is reported to have won many followers. It is reported that he has allegedly defrauded some of them and is a wanted man in UK. Malam Fatau is now facing the beats of his own fake music. He is currently on bail and is to appear in court in the middle of October. If you or any of your relatives or friends have been a victim of any spiritual assistance fraud by any spiritualist in Ghana and wants to make complain for investigation, contact the head of the Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association, Togbe M..A Adenyo on 0244-604880 or send an email to [email protected].

We also want to take the opportunity to advice many of the Ghanaian religious leaders not to attempt to undertake assignments beyond their spiritual abilities because of the lure of money. Being honest with oneself means doing what one is capable of doing and referring people who need help to spiritualists who can do it.

It is our firm belief that all readers will take a cue from this story, do proper investigations on many of the so-called miracle workers on radio before seeking spiritual assistance from them. We also want to encourage everyone to try to pray to the Lord on their own without depending too much on these spiritualists some of whom are frauds.

We also want to congratulate Nyansaboakwa for his splendid patriotic work in Ghana and also to the Center for African Culture & Arts,USA and Highlife Radio for for their roles in educating Ghanaian Diaspora.