Police Storm Ga Wulomo Shrine

ARMED police stormed the Sakumo Wulomo shrine, one of the holy sites of the Ga State, after midnight on Monday and arrested the chief priest apparently to stop an alleged installation of another Ga Mantse.

The Police numbering about 50, invited the Wolumo, Numo Ogbame III, to accompany them to the police station, but released him after questioning him on the way.

The Sakumo Wulomo who has the traditional mandate to perform the final rituals for the installation of Ga Mantse said he had barely finished performing his normal rituals for the day at around 2am when the police, accompanied by some soldiers, stormed his house.

Numo Ogbame told the Times that just after he finished the rituals, he was informed by his brother that policemen had surrounded that house.

Soon after, some policemen led by a senior officer, entered the house and asked to see the Sakumo Wulomo.

He said that after identifying himself, as the Wulomo, the Police Officer asked him to accompany them to the police station for questioning because, according to them, they had information that he was going to install a Ga Mantse.

He said he pleaded with them for about ten minutes for him to prepare and have one of his elders to accompany him.

"While I was waiting for my elder to come, they told me they did not have much time and that I should come with them," he said, adding that he obliged and followed them.

However, he said after a few metres walk from the house, they stopped and interrogated him on the street.

walk from the house, they stopped and interrogated him on the street.

They asked him about plans for an alleged installation of a new Ga Mantse and "I told them I do not install Ga Mantse and I do not know about what they are saying. They then asked me to go."

Numo Ogbame expressed concern about the interference of the police in Ga chieftaincy affairs indicating that it was the third time he had had such encounters with the Police.

"Why do you have to send a whole battalion to this place when a few policemen could have come to talk to me," he asked and described the police action as "intimidation". He called on the Ministry of the Interior to intervene to ensure peace

Inspector Kweku Dompreh, the Greater Accra Police Public Relations Officers told the Times that the police went to the shrine not to prevent any rituals but to ensure peace.

He said the police received information that rituals were going to be performed at the shrine that dawn. In addition to that, there was information that a rival group was planning to attack and disrupt that ceremony.

He said the police found a cow allegedly meant for the rituals, tied in a house nearby.