The Chief of Abossey-Okai, Nii Abossey III, and his queenmother Manye Naa Korkor II, together with three others, have been arrested by the police following a shooting incident over the weekend, which led to the death of two persons.
Those picked up alongside the chief and the queenmother are Godfred Marmah Nelson (Nii Okyeame), Jacob Laryea (Okyeame II) and John Awuley Lartey.
According to the police, the shooting was carried out when the chief and people of Abossey-Okai were celebrating this year’s Ga Mashie annual Homowo.
According to the police, the festival was organized without the organizers notifying them.
The police said while some customary rites were being performed as part of the celebration, gunshots were heard outside and in the process the three persons were hit by bullets.
The chief, the queenmother and the others, according to the police, were picked up on Sunday to assist in investigation into the matter.
When contacted, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Efia Tenge, said the five arrested leaders had given out their statements and had been cautioned and granted police enquiry bail to report themselves to the police later.
She named the deceased persons as Mohammed Issaka, 27, and Paul Adamu, 20, and said the victim who sustained gunshot wounds had been identified as Jacob Abbey, 27.
DSP Efia Tenge said around 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, the Kaneshie police received information that the chief and people of Abossey-Okai were organizing their Ga Homowo festival without their notice.
She said their report indicated that in the course of the celebration, while some customary rites were being performed, gunshots were fired.
“The report indicated that the victims had been rushed to the hospital and so the police proceeded to the scene and after confirming the incident went to Sukura Community Hospital and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where the victims were admitted,” she disclosed.
She revealed that at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the authorities confirmed that three persons were rushed in with gunshot wounds, but two persons passed on while receiving treatment and the third victim sustained injury on his right arm and was treated and discharged the same day.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey