Chief fires to disperse mourners

A funeral ceremony (one week celebration) at Fiapre in the Sunyani West District nearly turned bloody last Friday, when the Chief of the town fired several gunshots to scare and disperse the mourners.

According to an eyewitness, Nana Opoku Ababio, and some divisional chiefs in the town stormed the funeral grounds of the late Stephen Yaakye, a royal family member around 1430 hours, pulled a pump action gun and fired several bullets.

A close relative of the deceased told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on condition of anonymity that in the process, the bullets hit and destroyed some canopies mounted at the funeral grounds as well as some musical instruments.

It said the angry mourners apprehended one of the sub-chiefs who accompanied the chief to the funeral grounds but the timely intervention of the police saved him from been lynched.

According to the relative, Nana Ababio, who had earlier warned the bereaved family from observing the one week celebration, however managed to escape but the mourners were able to get the gun.

The bereaved family has reported the case to the police, it added.