Antoa Nyamaa to strike at recalcitrant politicians

Politicians who are proving recalcitrant in reversing curses they invoked with the name of the powerful Ashanti river deity, Antoa Nyamaa, in the run-up to the December 2012 general election should watch out for the worse, the Otumfuo’s Nsumankwaahene has said.

Baffour Asabere Kogyawoasu Ababio lll, the Nsumankwaahene (the chief priest of the Asantehene), warned that the powerful river deity could strike the offenders any time from now for refusing to perform the necessary rituals to reverse politically-motivated curses using the spirit of Antoa Nyamaa.

In a chat with The Mirror in Kumasi on Tuesday, Baffour Kogyawoasu Ababio denied reports in a section of the media that some of the politicians had sneaked to reverse the curses.

The Nsumankwaahene, who is responsible for overturning curses and sanctioning persons who invoke the deities, said, “Let them be reminded that Antoa Nyamaa can strike any time from now and they better come forward to do the right thing.”

He said when Antoa Nyamaa strikes, the offenders could be afflicted with spiritual predicaments including protruding stomachs, swollen legs, skin diseases and madness, which eventually would lead to death.

“I don’t expect people to sit down and allow this to happen to them. Therefore, the best thing for them to do is to come forward and do the right thing,” the Nsumankwaahene said.

In reversing curses, the gods are propitiated. In that case the one who invoked the curse would pay a pecuniary fine, and present drinks and other materials to the chief priest to perform the rituals at Antoa.

The offender would also be made to strip sometimes to the underpants and be cleansed in the river before becoming ‘clean’ once again.

Asked who were the politicians involved, the Nsumankwaahene said “they know themselves and I am not the person to mention their names”.

Barima Kogyawoasu Ababio said the fact that nothing had happened to the invocators since the acts were committed last year did not mean they had been left off the hook.

In the run-up to the December 2012 general election, some politicians invoked the spirit of the dreaded river deity in the Ashanti Region to cast spells on their opponents.

Others also invoked the river to defend themselves over allegations by their opponents.

The development came to the notice of the Nsumankwaahene, who quickly asked the politicians in question to take immediate steps to revoke the curses.

Baffour Kogyawoasu Ababio said the gods did not act hastily and that they determined the merits of every invocation spiritually before acting.

The Nsumankwaahene (the head of all medicine men, priests and priestesses within the Asante Kingdom), who is also a member of the Gyaase Division of Asante, cautioned people who continuously use Antoa Nyamaa to curse others that the river god never goes to sleep.

On whether he has sent specific invitations to the politicians who invoked curses, he said his outfit would not invite any of the parties involved but said it would be in the interest of the culprits themselves to own up and do the right thing.