Two poisoned children laid to rest

The two children who were poisoned by their mentally deranged mother at Essikado in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, have been laid to rest.

The mother, Naana Bray, 45 was suspected to have mixed a poisonous substance with beverage about two weeks ago, which ended the lives of the children.

The hundreds of mourners, who attended the burial service, could not hold back their tears when the caskets containing the mortal remains of the deceased were carried by pallbearers to the Ketan Estate cemetery for interment.

The father of the two deceased children, Mr Ebenezer Afful, a tutor at Sekondi College was flanked by family members and the congregation of the Anglican Church, teachers and classmates of the deceased as well as the clergy from the Catholic and Methodist churches to pay their last respect to the children.

The mortal remains of the siblings were first conveyed to the father’s house at Butumagyebu (BU) near Sekondi for a brief family ritual and then to the St Andrews Anglican Church for the Christian burial service.

The Right Reverend Colonel (Rtd) John Kwamena Otoo, Bishop of the St Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral told the family members to give thanks to God in all situations.

He said whatever take place in life is to be entrusted to the hands of God.

"Thanks to Jesus Christ that we have now come to understand that death is a temporary passage from man's hard work on earth to heaven where there is everlasting joy," he noted.

He asked the family members to continue to pray for God's divine protection and not to grieve like people who have no hope.

He said the Kingdom of God belonged to children such as the deceased.

Professor Joseph Benjamin Archibald Afful, an elder brother of the father of the deceased who read the father’s tribute described the deceased children as “precious ones”.

“You were my hope and an epitome of discipline, excellent, passion and beauty. How jealous the devil is. May your innocent souls rest in peace,” he said.

Madam Mary Boham, Headmistress of St Andrews Anglican Complex School, which the deceased children attended in a tribute described Maame Serwaa Afful and Abena Afoba Afful as academically good.

She revealed that Serwaa Afful had an interest in Information Communication Technology (ICT) while her sister also had an interest in ICT and Mathematics.

Naana Bray, the mentally deranged mother who once worked with the National Commission on Culture of the Western Regional Coordinating Council after her university education is currently at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital in the Central Region receiving treatment.