EVEN THOUGH teams of police personnel have been frequenting the scene where the body of Emmanuel Dorli, a 17-year-old boy who was struck by lightning Monday lay at Ho, none of them has ventured to go near and touch the body.
The police have also neither made any attempt to move the body from under the mango tree where he fell and died nor mounted a barricade to protect the scene.
A police source told this paper that, the report they received did not point to a crime committed by anyone and therefore, they were visiting the place only to gather intelligence.
This is making residents wonder whether the police are also afraid they could die if they touch the lightning-struck youth, as is the general belief of the people close to the shrine, hence, they are working with the family to find an amicable solution.
Emmanuel was struck by lightning at about 4:00pm on Monday, May 30, 2022 while in the company of two female friends. His body is still untouched after 24 hours.
Family Report
Nicholas Nfodjo, a senior member of the family of the deceased, told DAILY GUIDE that when the news got to them, they were shocked and confused at the same time.
This is because Emmanuel, a second-year student of Sokode Senior High Technical School (SOSTECH) is jovial, respectful and hardworking. He sells coconut at a spot opposite PWD in Ho with some friends after school.
After consultation, he said the family reported the case to the police and sent a delegation to the Nogokpo shrine in the Ketu South municipality for consultation.
The delegation left on Monday night. However, as of 10:00am on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, they were yet to hear from them. The delegation was made up of the family head, Samuel Frank Nfodjo and Daniel Kwao, grandfather of the deceased.
He said the response from the shrine will settle the confusion as to whether the lightning was spiritually invoked or was a natural occurrence. It will also pave way for the body to be conveyed and laid to rest appropriately.
Personnel of the National Ambulance Service conveyed the two females to the Ho Municipal Hospital for treatment, leaving Emmanuel’s body to pass the night under the mango tree.
Sources at the hospital confirmed to DAILY GUIDE that the two ladies who were sent there for treatment have been discharged.
Residents
Residents keep moving to and from the scene opposite the Volta Regional office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), a situation which has led to a traffic jam at that portion of the road.
Nogokpo Regent
Williams Amuzu Agbodzalu, the Regent of Nogokpo, the community that hosts the Nogokpo shrine, in a phone interview with DAILY GUIDE said the shrine cannot speak to the incident in Ho without the knowledge or consultation of the family.
He did not confirm or deny the involvement of the shrine, but explained that the shrine is a thunder and lightning deity. It only operates to establish the truth.
Thus, a person could be struck by lightning of the deity if the person lies about an act after several queries by an affected party.
The affected party will have to call on the deity to fish out whoever may be involved, particularly persons who had opportunity to tell the truth but did not.
When such persons are struck by the lightning, the family can either convey the body to the shrine or consult the shrine to convey the body.
The body is not buried nor sent to the morgue, instead, some rituals will be performed to clean it and also relatives. The body is then preserved with special herbs and kept in a ritual forest for annual rituals and pacification.
Togbe Agbodzalu said the forest has hundreds of such bodies spanning over 300 years.
Closed Shops
Meanwhile, a tour of the scene on Tuesday morning showed that the shops close to the spot where the incident happened remained closed.
A lady who sells roasted corn and plantain left her wares untouched after the incident on Monday.
Benches and tables close to the spot remain untouched and unmoved as several residents keep trooping in to catch a glimpse of what many suspect is a spiritual death.
FROM Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)