Evangelist jailed for destroying shrine

Agona Swedru, Jan 19, GNA - An Agona Swedru Circuit Court has sentenced a self-styled Evangelist of the Deeper Life Christian Church, to a nine months imprisonment with hard labour for destroying the shrine of the Agona Nsaba Traditional Area.

Ebenezer Amonoo Enyam, 27 years old who pleaded guilty with explanation to a charge of causing harm, told the court that he got a vision from God to destroy the shrine was convicted on his own plea. The court also ordered the accused to pay a compensation of 5 million cedis for the repair of the shrine known as the "Posuban" after serving his term.

Prosecuting, Detective Inspector R.A. Boamah told the court presided over by Mr Charles A. Wilson that the accused who was a wielder by profession was a grand son of the Omanhene of the Traditional Area. He said on August 14, 2006, the Adontehen of the Area, Nana Kofi Agyekum, early in the morning saw the accused destroying the Posuban and when he confronted him, he replied that, he had got a vision from God to pull down the shrine.

Detective Inspector Boamah said Enyam further told the Adontehen that the shrine was causing "havoc and calamity" to the family. According to the prosecution the accused again told Nana Agyekum that the family had not heeded advice to destroy the shrine that was why he had pulled it down.

Passing sentence, the Judge described the evangelist as "The Gideon who went to Jerusalem to pray but rather destroyed their shrine instead of behaving like Paul who when he saw the Israelites worshiping shrines took time to educate them until they understood the Bible and abandoned the idols themselves".

He said one of the fundamental freedoms in the constitution is "freedom of worship," adding that, "you can not take into your own hands and destroy the shrine".