Rev Eastwood-Anaba’s girls, two others laid to rest

The two daughters of Rev Eastwood Anaba – Amanda and Audrey Eastwood-Anaba - and two other members of the Fountain Gate Chapel - Benjamin Bulmuo Jnr, Clara Kadjani - have been laid to rest.

The funeral ceremony which started at 0500 GMT and took place in Bolgatanga, according to Citi News reporter Samuel Osei, was solemn and memorable.

He reports that the funeral grounds was packed with state dignitaries, clergymen, church members and thousands others from all walks of life.

The funeral ceremony was however organised to celebrate the lives of all six deceased individuals.

Six members of the Fountain Gate Chapel - Benjamin Bulmuo Jnr, 20, Clara Kadjani, 36, Amanda Eastwood-Anaba, 19, Audrey Eastwood-Anaba, 15, Alberta Osei, 24 and Alexender Kusi, 32 – lost their lives in a car accident which occurred on the Tamale – Bolgatanga road.

The incident also left another member of the church in critical condition and is still being attended to at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

The group was said to be travelling from Tamale to Bolgatanga to attend the church's annual Easter Convention dubbed International Extra Oil Conference.

Mourners and sympathisers were afforded the opportunity to pay their final respects to the deceased when the bodies were laid in state some hours before the burial ceremony.

Samuel Osei reports that mourners wept and were full of grief as they filed past the bodies.

Tributes were read by Rev Eastwood-Ananba and his son at the emotionally charged ceremony.

The four - Amanda Eastwood-Anaba, Audrey Eastwood-Anaba, Benjamin Bulmuo Jnr and Clara Kadjani - who were buried, are all reported to be residents of Bolgatanga.

The other two - Alberta Osei and Alexender Kusi - will be buried in separate ceremonies on the 2nd of May in Accra and on the 9th of May in Sunyani.

Samuel Osei reports that the government delegation at the funeral, headed by the Majority Leader in Parliament, Hon Alban Bagbin donated an amount of GHC 1, 000, four bags of rice and six crates of minerals to the bereaved family.

He says the Vice President, H.E John Dramani Mahama is expected to grace the Thanksgiving Service on April 26 2009.

Rev Tackie Aboi, speaking at the ceremony, encouraged the church members of the Church to remain steadfast despite the circumstances and continue in their Christian mandate of winning souls.

He encouraged Rev Eastwood-Anaba to continue in the duties assigned him by god.

He cautioned the church members to desist from making blasphemous such as the one's the Biblical Job's friends made during his trying times.

Samuel Osei reports that the CAAAAB Foundation – CAAAB is an acronym made up of the first letters of the names of the six people who died in the accident – will also be dedicated to God after the ceremony.

Ahead of the funeral ceremony on April 26, a thanksgiving service was organised dubbed 'Glory Night, where the lives of the six deceased was celebrated.

A 15 minute documentary on the lives of all the four people was projected on large screen at the ceremony which was emotionally crowned when one of the sons of Rev Eastwood Anaba run on stage and hugged his father who was knelling and praying on stage.

By: citifmonline