Homowo clashes

A 14-year-old boy died, while another boy, 13 years of age, sustained gunshot wounds when rival factions in a chieftaincy dispute, armed with guns and other offensive weapons, clashed at the Weija Palace during the Homowo celebrations in Accra last Friday.
The two were among victims who sustained serious wounds and were rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but the 14-year-old died on arrival, while the 13-year-old, Richmond Asharley, who was shot in the right arm, was treated and discharged.
The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP James Oppong-Boanuh, confirming the story to the Daily Graphic, said the assailants, led by one Shadow, attacked the Dzaasetse and Acting Chief of Weija, Nii Boafo Dantinase II and his elders as they were enjoying their Homowo meal.
He said one of the assailants, whose name was given as Aryeetey Praso, allegedly shot Alfred Quartey, alias Attoh Attram, aged about 30, and in the process the shot hit the 14-year-old boy, adding that the 13-year-old boy was also shot by an unknown assailant who was on the run.
At the moment, he said, the town was calm and the police patrol team was monitoring the area to maintain peace.
In another development, DCOP Oppong-Boanuh revealed that the police had a hint before the Homowo celebrations of possible disturbances between supporters of Nii Okaidja III and Nii Ayi Bontey II at James Town, Ga Mashie, where the two chiefs intended to perform their customary rites as chiefs as custom demanded.
He added that the Ga Traditional Council had also given strict orders to all the chiefs and people that the Homowo celebrations should be restricted to households and palaces to prevent any clashes.
To that effect, he said the police had a court order to restrain both chiefs from performing the customary rites outside their houses or palaces and to ensure that policemen were deployed to prevent supporters of both chiefs from clashing.
He said at about 8 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2008, Nii Okaidja arrived at James Town with his supporters and went to his family house opposite the Gbese Palace to perform customary rites indoors, adding that Nii Ayi Bontey also arrived at about 9:30 am with his supporters amid singing and drumming through the High Street towards the Ga Mantse Street.
“On their arrival, Nii Ayi Bontey decided to pass through one of the entrances to the Gbese Palace but was prevented by a police patrol team to avoid any confrontation with the supporters of Nii Okaidja,????????? who had assembled within the vicinity,” he stated, noting that in the process supporters of Nii Ayi Bontey attacked three policemen on duty with stones and bottles.
The three policemen, he said, sustained some injuries and were rushed to the Police Hospital for treatment.
In all, DCOP Oppong-Boanuh said 10 suspects had been arrested as a result of their involvement in the disturbances.
He named some of them as Nii Papa III, Assan E. K. Kommey, Samuel Tetteh and Daniel Ekow and said they would be arraigned for the part they played in the Gbese troubles.
He noted that another suspect, who was on the run and being sought after by the police, Nii Tackie, had smeared human excreta on three entrances to the Nii Tackie Tawaih I We at Nmanmonaa, Amerley Laryea Street, James Town, to prevent Nii Tackie Tawiah from performing his customary rites.
At Nsakinaa, a village in Ga West District, DCOP Oppong-Boanuh said, five suspects, Kingsford Nii Odartey Lamptey, Albert Quaye, John Laryea Mensah and Michael Nana Doku, believed to be hired by one Odartey Lamptey, alias Okossa, were arrested for possessing locally manufactured guns and quantities of gunpowder.
Meanwhile, 15 land guards last Sunday meted out atrocities on six people who were clearing a bushy football park at Weija, reports Abdul Aziz.
Mistaking the six for caretakers of the parcel of land at Aplaku, the 15 land guards, who were wielding machetes and cudgels, inflicted wounds on the boys weeding the football field, resulting in one of them temporarily losing his sight in the right eye.
Mr Isaac Krubugah, 27, who lost his sight during the assault, also sustained machete wounds on his left arm.
According to Krubugah, around noon on Sunday, when they were in the process of weeding the football field, which was leased to the youth in the area for their recreation by one Mr Kojo Asmah, the land guards appeared and without a word of warning started to attack them.
Krubugah, who maintained he could identify some of the land guards at Sampa Valley, said they used the cudgels to hit his head and face, which rendered him temporarily blind, making it impossible for him to escape.
He said as he could not escape, he lay on the field for sometime before some good Samaritans came and took him to the Dansoman Police Station, where he was given a form to attend hospital.
The Police at Sampa Valley, where the incident occurred, have launched investigations into the incident.