Police in a meeting with some chiefs of Dixcove
THERE WAS pandemonium at Lower Dixcove Traditional Area last Saturday when the chiefs and people purportedly decided to defy a directive by the Western Regional Security Council (REGSEC) not to celebrate their annual Kundum festival.
The Western Regional Security Council (REGSEC) placed a ban on the celebration of Kundum in the area in 2019 following a bloody clash that occurred between supporters of the Paramount Chief of Lower Dixcove, Nana Kwasi Agyeman and that of Upper Dixcove, Nana Hima Dekyi.
As part efforts by the REGSEC to lift the ban to pave way for the celebration, it decided to hold a meeting with the two paramountcies to help resolve the impasse.
However, due to the inability of both factions to assure of a violence-free celebration of the Kundum festival, the REGSEC decided to suspend the celebration this year.
The REGSEC therefore issued a statement directing the suspension of this year’s Kundum festival at Lower Dixcove.
The chiefs and people of Lower Dixcove however, decided to celebrate the festival last Saturday, explaining that the directive reached them late.
According to them, they had used a whole year to plan for the festival and had already sent out invitations.
“We even served the police notice about the celebration on Saturday,” they asserted.
Last Saturday, the people of Dixcove mounted canopies at a field to start the celebration.
Later, the police stormed the area to bring down the canopies and, in the process, some of the people decided to resist, which nearly led to a clash.
The police are currently providing security in the fishing town of Lower Dixcove.
One of the traditional leaders of Lower Dixcove, Nana Mensah Kumah, said in 2019 the people did not celebrate Kundum because of the disturbances that occurred.
“In 2020 and 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic we could not celebrate,” he added.
“But this year, almost all chiefs and traditional areas in the country are celebrating their festivals like the Homowo in Greater Accra,” he pointed out.
He noted that at a point the REGSEC told the traditional leaders in Lower Dixcove that they do not celebrate Kundum, which was not true.
“They later told us that we celebrate Kundum but in September. We had to provide documents that proved that Lower Dixcove celebrates Kundum in August,” he stressed.
“So all along we have been planning and informed the police. Last Saturday we decided to have a durbar.
“But I was not feeling well so I was at the hospital for a brief moment when I received a call that the police have stormed the area to stop the celebration because there was a court order or something.
“We did not receive any order or summons from any quarters, and the police should have done their investigations,” he added.
He pleaded with the Inspector General of Police to intervene to ensure lasting peace in the area.
FROM Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi