Nai Abokuadi Agyeman Whettey Otabil III says he was visiting an ancesteral burial place

I did not bury cow for ritual— Awutu Paramount Chief

Daily Graphic Jan - 05 - 2018 , 09:37 2 minutes read

The Paramount Chief of the Awutu Traditional Area, Nai Abokuadi Agyeman Whettey Otabil III, has denied claims that he buried a cow for ritual purposes at Nsumfa, near Ablekuma in the Greater Accra Region.

A statement issued by the queen mother and regent of Abbeyman in the Ga Central District, Naa Dodi Akaibi II, said she had buried the cow and performed the said ritual at the said venue which was the grave side of a former queen mother of the Ga State, who had reigned between the years 1610 and 1636.

After the rites, she said she detailed some members of the Asafo Company to sprinkle a traditional food for the dead, known as “fotoli” on the grave.

Later Nai Otabil, who had expressed desire to visit the grave of Naa Dodi Akaibi who had a relationship with the Awutus, was accompanied by two members of the Asafo company.
Confrontation

On reaching the site, Naa Akaibi said Nai Otabil and the Asafo Company were met by three men, with one of them identifying himself as Nuumo Ofoli, who confronted Nai Otabil.

Shortly, the statement said, 30 other persons trooped to the scene and falsely accused the paramount chief of Awutu Traditional Area that he had murdered an unknown person and buried same at the place.

It said while others heckled and manhandled the paramount chief, others took pictures of the unfolding drama at the scene, after which the pictures went viral on some social media platforms.

The two members of the Asafo Company were forced to exhume the cow that I had buried at the site, the statement added.

Subsequently, Nai Otabil and the two members of the Asafo Company were hauled to the Anyaa Police Station where five police officers were detailed to visit the “alleged” scene of crime.

At the scene, the police officers conducted thorough investigations and after satisfying themselves that no human being had been buried there, the police took statements from the paramount chief of Awutu Traditional Area.

An emissary of the paramount chief, who visited the offices of the Daily Graphic yesterday to narrate their side of the story, said the rites were performed on December 18, 2017 and not December 31, 2017 as was reported.