Komfo Anokye's attacker remanded

The self-styled Evangelist, Kwame Sarfo, 31, who attempted to destroy the statue of the legendary Komfo Anokye mounted in front of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has been remanded in prison custody.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of causing unlawful damage to the statue, a national monument and will reappear on August 7.

On Monday, the accused attacked the statue with a hammer and broke off its right hand holding a whisk.

The tribunal chaired by Mr S.K. Achina heard that Sarfo claimed he had a vision three years ago in which God expressed total dissatisfaction with idol worshipping by a section of Ghanaians.

Based on that, the accused left Obuasi to Kumasi to condemn all idol worshippers, accusing them of being the cause of the lack of progress in the country.

Armed with a hammer and a Bible, the accused on reaching Bantama roundabout where the statue had been erected, mounted a platform and used the hammer to hit it statue several times.

People who were attracted to the scene asked him to stop but he continued until the right hand holding the whisk broke off.

The mob attempted to vent their spleen on him but he was rescued and sent to the Bantamahene, Baffour Awua V, who directed that the accused be sent to the Regional Police Headquarters for Investigations. The Bible and hammer were produced as exhibits.

The value of the damage hand is yet to be ascertained.

Asked by the Tribunal why he decided to destroy such a national monument, Sarfo explained that God in a vision, ordered him to destroy it, describing the statue as an idol.

Remanding the accused, the Tribunal said that it should not be assumed that the accused had mental illness and that religion could be attributed to mental illness. He referred the accused to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.