"Rain Stopper" summoned by Traditional Council

Ho, May 19, GNA - A man alleged to have used super natural powers to hold-up the onset of rains in and around Ho for the past three months contrary to predictions by meteorologists has appeared before the Asogli Traditional Council.

As if by coincidence there was a heavy down pour in Ho last Wednesday soon after the traditional authorities summoned the culprit and performed rituals and prayers supposedly to nullify a taboo arising from the perceived supernatural powers.

The culprit, Mr Victor Dzide, 70, a retired clerk of the Ho Municipal Hospital, was alleged to have stopped the rains by hanging a live vulture with a red rope on a palm tree in his house at Ho Bankoe since March 2, 2006, which traditional sources said was a taboo. The bad smell from the dead vulture gave up Mr Dzide, whose neighbours alerted the traditional authorities of the area to the strange event.

According to a source at the Traditional Council, it was forbidden for anyone in the Municipality to kill a vulture, which is revered in the area.

According to the source when Dzide was summoned before the Council, he admitted the act and explained that the location where he hanged the vulture was his praying grounds and that he prayed with the Bible. He said the hanging of the vulture was a ritual aimed at protecting his farm against thieves.

The mystery of the hanged vulture and stoppage of rain took a new dimension when a goat, which Mr Dzide was compelled to provide for the rituals, died few hours after it was presented. Meanwhile Mr Dzide has allegedly refused to attend a final meeting to settle the matter.

"Nobody seems to know his whereabouts and what he may be planning next", a Council member told the Ghana News Agency. Togbe Kludzexe III, a Special Adviser to Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of the Asogli Traditional Council, told the GNA in an interview that the Council was prepared to go to any length to ensure the safety of the area.