Armed Police Chase Corpse, Mourners Away

PLANS BY the Kokoroko and allied families of Vakpo in the Kpando district of the Volta Region to give their departed medical doctor a solemn but befitting burial on Saturday, August 31 this year became a mirage when a platoon of steel-helmeted and heavily armed policemen chased both the corpse and the mourners away from the town.

Dr. Humphrey Komla Bedu Kokoroko, formally of the Cape Coast Hospital gave up the ghost on Wednesday, June 19, 2002 at Ho after a protracted illness.

An aggrieved family spokesman who prefers not to be mentioned told the ubiquitous Chronicle that, after series of plenary sessions with the elders at Vakpo, Saturday, August 31 was unanimously agreed upon as the day for the burial and the final obsequies for the late doctor.

But that was not to be. The family was swerved and ridiculed with only a few days to the funeral when much preparation and publicity had gone into the funeral arrangements.

The Vakpo Traditional Council under the distinguished chairmanship of Obisibrim Togbe Gbogbolulu IV thought the best way they could contribute to the funeral was to impose a ban on noise-making and funerals in the paramountcy.

Envisaging a possible embarrassment, disgrace and financial lose, the family petitioned the council to be allowed to have the burial on the quiet, even without a wake-keeping, but the petition was not strong enough to win the council's sympathy.

Chronicle investigations revealed that after much negotiation and pleas, the council and elders of the town "fined" the bereaved family a certain amount of drinks after which they were permitted to go ahead with their programmes.

Strangely enough, when the body of Dr. Kokoroko arrived at Vakpo, his hometown, on the night of Friday, August 30 for burial the following day, a platoon of heavily armed policemen prevented it from landing.

A letter sighted by the reporter and signed by the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kpandu, Hon. Seth Asorwoe Akwensivie, dated August 30, 2002 read in parts "You are hereby directed by the District Security Committee (DISEC) to postpone the burial rite of Dr. Humphrey Badu Kokoroko of Vakpo-Gboxome scheduled for August 31 2002."

It continued: "This directive is as result of investigations conducted by the committee following a report of possible breach of the peace."

As if that was not enough, the policemen, most of whom appeared in a state of drunken stupour threatened to seize the body and deposit it at an unknown destination if they (family) refused to leave Vakpo before mid-night.

The grief-stricken family and sympathizers had to leave hurriedly for Ho where the body was interred the following day after a burial service by the Assemblies of God Church under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Michael Torsah.

Meanwhile, the children of the late Dr. Kokoroko have sworn never to visit Vakpo again.

The question being asked by the general populace is why the Vakpo traditional council and the district security council should allow the burial of a woman commonly called Ghana Girl at Vakpo on Saturday, August 31 2002 and create a fuss about the late doctor's funeral.

"What is the crime of the Kokoroko family," they asked.