Scores of dead bodies, including those buried just six months and some decades ago at the Tetrem cemetery in the Ashanti Region, will be exhumed and reburied by their relatives in the coming days.
A cocoa road project from Kyekyewere to Ahenkro which is being constructed by government, passing through part of the cemetery, has resulted in the reburial of dozens of corpses at the cemetery.
The exhumation of the dead bodies at the cemetery for reburial at different parts of the same cemetery is creating huge discomfort and financial problems for the numerous affected family members.
The affected family members allegedly are supposed to pay GH¢800 to some young men in the town who have volunteered to carry the task of exhuming the dead bodies for reburial.
Elders of the town have reportedly offered libation and performed some rituals to pacify the gods in the area and the spirits of the dead people in order to pave way for the smooth exhumation and reburial exercise to start.
Abusuapanin of Abuabugya family, Nana Kofi Asante, whose family is supposed to exhume bodies of four dead family members at the cemetery, complained that they have not received any compensation from the government yet.
Speaking with Ali Baba of Kessben FM, he stated that government ideally ought to have given some financial cushion to the affected family members to carry out the task “but we have received nothing so far”.
Nana Asante said his family is supposed to pay a whopping GH¢32,000 to give a befitting reburial for their four dead persons, adding that government should at least have compensated the affected families.
He said announcement was recently made in the town that people who have their dead family members buried close to the roadside should exhume the bodies for reburial so that the road project which passes through parts of the cemetery could take place.
According to him, elders of the town had already offered libation for the exhumation exercise to kick-start, adding that the affected family members are under pressure since the contractor had already brought his equipment to site for work to begin.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi