General News of 2012-10-24

One Killed At Funeral Of Fetish Priest

The funeral of a fetish priest at Aboabo Number Two in the Adansi North District of the Ashanti Region turned tragic when a gun being loaded by a possessed priest for the performance of traditional rites went off, killing a trainee fetish priest and injuring two others.

The suspect, Nana Yaw Kyei, who was allegedly possessed by the gods at the time he was loading the gun, is in police custody at Fomena, while the remains of the deceased have been sent to the morgue at the Bekwai Hospital.

The Fomena District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Daniel Anane Amoah, in a telephone interview with graphic.com.gh from his base, mentioned the name of the deceased as Richard Appiah, 38, while the injured are Adu Asamoah, 56, and Nana Kwaku Nyarko, 62.

According to the commander, last Saturday, the funeral of one of the renowned fetish priests in the area, known only as Soaheme, was held at Aboabo Number Two.

In attendance were hundreds of mourners, including many fetish priests from the area and beyond.

The suspect, who was in a trance, told the gathering that the gods had directed that they (mourners) get him a gun to perform traditional rites.

In a matter of minutes, someone brought a gun and while the suspect was loading it, the weapon went off, with the bullets hitting the three persons in the process.

They were rushed to the Bekwai Hospital, where Appiah was pronounced dead on arrival.

DSP Amoah said the police went to the scene of the incident and retrieved the weapon, a single-barreled gun.