Kwaku Bonsam Floors Pastor

The dreaded fetish priest, Kwaku Bonsam yesterday demonstrated his readiness to engage Reverend Ebenezer Adarkwa Yiadom in a spiritual contest to show who is spiritually more powerful.

Whereas the Akomadan-Afrancho based fetish priest showed up in a grand style at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi, the chosen venue for the much-talked-about spiritual battle, the founder and leader of Ebenezer Miracle Church at Ahenema Kokoben in Kumasi was nowhere to be found.

No official response was given for Rev Adarkwa's absence but speculations were rife at the event grounds that the man of God who presides over one of the biggest congregations in the country, had dashed off to Accra, the nation's capital, in the early hours of the day of the show.

Rev Adarkwa had earlier boasted on several times on radio stations that he was capable of silencing Kwaku Bonsam spiritually to demonstrate to the world that he was more powerful than the prominent traditional believer and indeed any fetish priest in the country.

Chief Executive Officer of Fun Time Promotions, Mr. Ben Kyeremateng, organizers of the event, told DAILY GUIDE that it was surprising that Rev Adarkwa did not turn up for the much publicized show because he was duly notified.

Another pastor by name Bob who runs a church at Pankrono, a suburb of Kumasi, who earlier on bragged that he will assist Rev Adarkwa to floor Kwaku Bonsam, also did not show up.

Nana Kwaku Bonsam stormed the event grounds at about 2.30 pm riding a dark brown horse, dressed in batakari with a whitish substance smeared all over his body, followed by a convoy of plush vehicles.

The now most famous fetish priest in the country, before making his entry into the venue of the show, held a procession on the principal streets of Kumasi, which saw hundreds of people popping from their homes and places of work to catch a glimpse of the commander-in-chief of fetish priesthood in Ghana.

The Jubilee Park, which was filled to capacity, simply exploded when the man who claims to be commander of spirituality finally arrived at the grounds ready for action.

Hundreds of enthusiastic observers who started trooping to the grounds at about 10:00 am had to stand under the scorching sun for several hours waiting for the arrival of the two spiritual combatants.

The glorious arrival of the famous fetish priest therefore brought much relief to the excited crowd who were expecting great miracles, though the Reverend Minister made no show.

In a brief speech before he swung into action, Kwaku Bonsam said his mission was to shame Rev Adarkwa and his colleagues who claim to be men of God, so that people would come to the realization that there is dignity in traditional worship.

He pointed out that he was battle-ready for any pastor who thinks he has what it takes to perform sensational miracles.

Nana Kwaku Bonsam was given moral support by another fetish priest at Akabreso, a suburb of Obuasi, who told DAILY GUIDE that he also supplies juju to pastors.

What promised to be an exciting show notwithstanding Rev Adarkwa's expected absence, was intermittently disrupted by the thick crowd which became uncontrollable.

Though several police personnel were detailed to the grounds to ensure sanity, the crowd which grew bigger by the minute, overwhelmed the security agents, thereby making the maintenance of law and order difficult.

Several jubilant observers had their valuables such as mobile phones, watches, and wallets stolen by miscreants, while others sustained minor injuries in their efforts to see Kwaku Bonsam perform.

In spite of the difficulty in controlling the multitude, the celebrated traditional worshipper managed to put up several fantastic shows to the amazement of the crowd.

Some of the wonders he displayed included the sowing of a palm nut seed which germinated right after planting, as well as conjuring live birds and monies in different denominations.

Nana Kwaku Bonsam had to end the display of his spiritual exploits when the crowd jostled him in the struggle to grab some of the money he was conjuring.

The renowned spiritual leader instead handed the undisclosed amount of money he commandeered to the leader of the police team detailed to the place, to be given to the Kumasi Children's Home.

The thick crowd which was still determined to have a share of the money, nearly beat up the police officer but for the intervention of other officers around, who whisked him away in a waiting police vehicle.

The police personnel had to fire tear gas and warning shots to disperse the crowd so the police leader could be taken away.

Despite the bombardment of tear gas, the crowd still followed Nana Kwaku Bonsam and his entourage when he was leaving the Jubilee Park, therefore causing vehicular traffic on the road in front of the Prempeh Assembly hall.

A section of the crowd who spoke to DAILY GUIDE expressed satisfaction about Kwaku Bonsam s performance but were disappointed at Rev Adarkwa s failure to turn up for what was expected to be a mammoth spiritual contest.