Assemblyman Declared An Outcast ?

Kpando-Dzigbe (Volta Region), 11 Nov. Mr. Kofi Kpei, Assemblyman and herbalist of Kpando-Dzigbe, has been declared an outcast by a group of elders and opinion leaders in the town for allegedly planting juju in a plantain tree. His shrine has been destroyed. Mr. Kpei is reported to have admitted planting the juju but said it was part of rituals to cure a male patient at the Local Saint Patrick Hospital of permanent erection. This was confirmed by Dr. L.K. Akoto, Medical Director of the hospital and Deputy Superintendent of Police I.A. Kugbey, Kpando District Police Commander. Togbe Simon Kwami Tibo, 73, Odikro of the town, said he ordered the beating of gong gong to ostracise Mr. Kpei when he failed to honour a summons concerning his action. He said anyone who talked to Mr. Kpei will pay a fine of one ram and two bottles of schnapps. Mr. Anthony Bavor, an opinion leader in the community who took newsmen to the house of one Mr. Kennedy Dzaka, where the juju was planted, said the incident is serious because of a series of deaths in the town of late and the fact that Mr. Kpei used black snail which is a taboo in the community. However, Togbe Anku Akradi, 70, an elder of the town, said the Odikro has no duty to ostracise Mr. Kpei and that it is the duty of the local fetish priest to perform rituals to cleanse the town in relation to the black snail. Togbe Akradi said those who took the action against Mr. Kpei did so because he refused to support them in a local chieftaincy dispute. Mr. Kpei said he did not respond immediately to the summons by Togbe Tibo because his faction has been hostile to him over his public condemnation of the murder of Togbe Asamadu the sixth, who was chief of the town. Mr. Kpei said he told messengers sent by Togbe Tibo that he would respond to the summons together with his parents the next day, only to hear the announcement of his being ostracised that same evening. The issue has been brought before the district security council. Meanwhile, Miss Akua Dansua, the Kpando District Chief executive, has warned the people of the town not to breach the peace over the issue. She reminded them that there are procedures for withdrawing assemblymen from the district assembly and that no one should take the law into his own hands.