2 Killed At Chief's Funeral
Pre-interment rituals for a deceased chief at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region last Friday turned bloody when two female staff of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a driver, were shot in the process, leading to the death of two people.
Lydia Osei, 36, cashier, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Wiawso Government Hospital, whilst her colleague, Clara Owusu, 30, office secretary, who was shot in the lower abdomen, was responding to treatment.
Kofi Nkrumah alias So-Me-So, a driver and native of Sefwi Wiawso, was killed during exchange of gunshots between the police and a section of the people who wanted to take advantage of the confusion at the chief's funeral to forcefully enter the Sefwi Wiawso palace to install a new Paramount Chief.
In view of the seriousness of Clara's condition, the Wiawso hospital authorities referred her to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), but for unknown reasons, the victim was sent to the Manhyia Hospital in Kumasi.
Clara Owusu was in excruciating pain after undergoing surgery when DAILY GUIDE visited her at the hospital as part of its investigations.
According to Dr. Nana Brobbey, acting Medical Superintendent of Sefwi Wiawso Government Hospital, Mrs. Lydia Osei was brought to the hospital already dead with gunshot wounds on her chest, while Clara Owusu was shot in the abdomen.
The bodies of the deceased were at the Sefwi Wiawso Government Hospital pending autopsy, while tension continued to mount in the town and its environs since Friday.
Some suspects had been arrested by the Sefwi Wiawso Police, but the District Police Commander, ASP Raymond Erzuah, declined to speak to DAILY GUIDE, saying the issue was delicate and he had therefore been instructed by his superiors from the Regional Police Command to remain mute.
As a result of the situation, Sefwi Wiawso Health Assistants' Training College had been closed down immediately since most of the students were in the town, with only a few in the hostel.
Some people also attacked workers of Liberty FM, a local radio station belonging to the current Omanhene of Sefwi Wiawso, with stones and other offensive weapons and the reporters and presenters had to flee for dear life.
According to very dependable sources and eye-witnesses from Sefwi Wiawso as well as DAILY GUIDE's independent scouting, before the burial last Friday of Nana Yeboah Kansa, Abontensodomhene, who belonged to the “Abese” Division, certain rituals were to be performed.
The head of the Abese Division, being the rightful person to perform the burial rituals, was absent because of a protracted chieftaincy dispute in Sefwi Wiawso, so the Chief of Sefwi Sui, Nana Kwasi Gyebi, allegedly represented him.
While the chiefs were parading the principal streets around the funeral grounds, with some in their palanquins, near the IRS office, Nana Gyebi who was said to have very bad eyesight, allegedly fired a gun and the bullets hit the two ladies who were on the office veranda facing the street.
Our impeccable sources indicated that though the Queen mother of Sefwi Wiawso, Nana Adua Panyin who was seriously litigating with the current Omanhene of Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Area, Nana Nkuah Okumdom II, was absent, her supporters stormed the forecourt of the palace in an attempt to disarm the few policemen on guard duty in order to forcefully enter and install, John Chika as the new Paramount Chief of Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Area.
It was gathered that some of the people passed through the back door of the palace holding guns and other offensive weapons, while others wanted to go through the forecourt and in the process, there were exchanges of gunshots between the police and the people, allegedly resulting in the death of 'So-Me-So'.
Another eye-witness told DAILY GUIDE that since the District Security Committee had handed over the key to the room of the black stool to the police who were on a 24-hour guard at the palace, the people wanted to use force to disarm the police in order to break into that room to forcefully install John Chika as Omanhene by letting him sit on the black stool.
The source added that in the process, the police gave warning shots, but the people would not retreat and So-Me-So boldly attacked one of the policemen guarding the palace in an effort to disarm him. In the ensuing struggle, the gun of the policeman accidentally went off, killing So-Me-So instantly.
The police, according to our investigations, had so far seized three guns, retrieved three pellets and two empty cartridges in the course of the confusion, but John Chika, whom the people wanted to install as paramount chief, had bolted while the chief of Sui, who allegedly shot the IRS ladies, had been granted bail.
Nana Kansa II, at whose funeral the unfortunate incidents occurred, had been laid in state in a house behind the offices of the IRS since last week Wednesday and the chiefs were performing the final ritual to bid their deceased colleague farewell.
Nana Kwasi Gyebi, in the process of majestically demonstrating his chiefly prowess, pulled the gun and began firing indiscriminately, in the process of which the two IRS staff were hit by bullets.
Following the incident, hundreds of people who had thronged the streets to pay their last respect to the deceased chief, ran helter-skelter, ostensibly to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
According to eyewitnesses, Lydia Osei and Clara Owusu were among three staff of IRS that were standing at their office premises in the area when Nana Gyebi fired the gun allegedly loaded with live bullets.
It was however not clear why the chief used live bullets instead of gun powder, as was the tradition during such pre-entombment rituals.
From Sam Mark Essien, Takoradi Ernest Kofi Adu & James Quansah, Kumasi