"Dead Man" who bought his own coffin...

...relative asking for help

Relatives of Mr Baafour Awuah, 56 year-old pauper, who died in December last year and believed to have later bought a coffin for his own burial, on Friday appealed to philanthropists and well wishers to assist them to bury him.

Madam Akua Serwah, Senior Sister of Awuah who is on her maiden visit to the capital from Kumasi, made the appeal through the Ghana News Agency. Mr Awuah, who lived as a squatter at the Kinbu Gardens died at the Ridge Hospital where some friends had sent him for treatment.

Madam Serwah said the last time she saw her brother was about 21 years ago. Mr Awuah was the youngest member of the family of four. The eldest was last heard of 35 years ago and he is believed to be in Sierra Leone and the other sister had been invalid for two years now.

She said on hearing of the death of her brother and the accompanying story, she borrowed 50,000 cedis to make the journey to Accra. Madam Serwah denied that the family heard of Mr Awuah's sickness but abandoned him. She said it would be difficult to bury Mr Awuah at their hometown, Kumawu, because he did not attend funerals there.

Nana Danso and Mr Osei Kwame, friends of the deceased who took him to hospital when he was sick, said that they were yet to find money for the storage of the body and medical bills.

Nana Danso said they would also require assistance in terms of a vehicle to convey the body to the cemetery. "We simply cannot afford a funeral," he said.