In the statement, the GaDangme Council said that the youth, mobilized by a stranger Mantse, obstructed their traditional exercise of sprinkling kpekple (Ga food prepared with corn and oil).
While at that, the statement added, the youth, incensed at the situation, showed them disrespect when they scattered their traditional food in the process.
“The GaDangme Council has learnt with shock and dismay the attack on leaders of the Nii Odoi Kwao Family of Osu, who are the allodial owners of Niiman (corrupted as Nima) lands. The video footages showed some youth of Nima attack and assault elders of the Nii Odoi Kwao Family who had gone to Nima as part of the Homowo celebrations to sprinkle the traditional Kpekple within their ancestral area and on land which is undoubtedly owned by the said family.
“The youth concerned were reportedly mobilized by a rival stranger Mantse installed by some settlers without the knowledge and consent of the landowners and in competition to another Mantse which had led to pent up feelings and heightened tensions within the community. The youth became incensed during the ceremony, threatened the elders, and warned the landlords never to step foot Nima anymore. In their anger, they scattered the traditional food on the ground, thereby showing great disrespect and contempt to the landowners,” the statement said.
The statement further described the actions of the youth as a sign of intolerance that does not promote peaceful co-existence.
They also called for an arrest of the perpetrators.
“The GaDangme Council views the incidence as unacceptable and disrespectful to the GaDangme culture, usages, and practices and sacrilegious of all the Homowo stands for. It also shows evidence of intolerance and amounts to acts tending to cause a breach of the peace which acts do not engender peaceful co-existence and cooperation and likely to escalate into a tribal conflict between the people of Osu and the stranger settlers.
“We unreservedly condemn the incident and warn against any repetition. We further demand an unqualified apology from those behind and involved in what happened. We note that such acts of challenges to allodial owners of land by strangers can lead to forfeiture of their right to remain on the land. We finally throw our weight fully behind the statement issued by the Ga Traditional Council and call upon the security agencies to act decisively to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book,” it added.
Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.
Vladimir Antwi-Danso speaks on Ghana's security in the face of recurring coups on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV with Etsey Atisu
You can also watch this episode of People & Places here:
You can also watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below:
Watch the launch of the 2023 GhanaWeb Excellence Awards on GhanaWeb TV below:
The Council has described the attack as a disrespect to the Ga culture
