Why Punish a Dead Body Well Ahead of the Dreadful God’s Judgement Day – Kumawuhemaa?

Wonders, they say, will never end. There are astonishing things that baffle human gumption, and also defy human understanding, happening on each passing day. There is no wonder that some people have been plotting the disgrace of, and the infliction of punishment on, a dead body, prior to its interment.

My question is did the deceased Kumawu Kontrihene (Nana Peprah Kodua IV) commit any unforgivable and unforgotten spiritual sins that should compel his known accusers or enemies to plan mischievously against his dead body? It is far beyond my scope and remits to be judgmental of him even though his initial support, offered to Kumawuhemaa toughened her intransigence and quest to behave irresponsibly all of the time. However, I can report on issues relating to his life and death.

To go back to what is a rhetoric question posed above; I have an answer from the Holy Bible at the Gospel of John chapter 9:1-3. It reads, "1.And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3. Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him".

It could possibly be for the manifestation of the will of God that whatever has happened to Kontrihene with the seeming attendant cruelties by Kumawuhemaa and her cohorts has happened.

It is reliably alleged that some people have secretly arranged for the body of the demised Kontrihene, now at the Kumawu-Besoro mortuary pending final traditional funeral arrangements befitting a Kontrihene, to suffer intentional decomposition. What could their motive behind such a heinous enterprise be?

Is it to avoid the situation of Kontrihene's body being laid in state for his well-wishers, family members and friends to come and pay him their obligatory last respect in accordance with Ashanti custom and tradition? Why would they want to deny him this last respect?

When the body happens to be in the process of decay as wished by his enemies, principally Kumawuhemaa, the stench will be so overwhelming to even allow for the body being brought home for a second, let alone, laying it in state. It will have to be rushed from the hospital, to be precise the mortuary, to the cemetery.

There is a case reference I can cite to buttress my contention. The dead body of one Nana Asumadu (not the deceased Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, the Kumawuhene), also a Kumawu sub-chief from Kumawu-Bodomase, suffered a similar fate. He was understood to have gone to Accra to deliver some money to a friend of his who had made him the overseer of his company in Kumawuman. He would collect the money due his friend from his tractor drivers and from other sources for a few months before proceeding to Accra to make payment to the owner. On one such trip that became his last, he fell ill barely after arriving at Accra. He was quickly rushed to the hospital but luck was not on his side.

I had a year or so before his demise gone to a pub in Bodomase on his request to enjoy a bottle or two of beer and Coca-Cola. As soon as he saw me at Bodomase on my day's trip there on one of my holidays to Ghana, he said, "... (mentioning my name), come with me to the beer bar to buy me a drink". He was not my friend but for the fact that we knew each other as Kumawuman citizens for the past forty or so years, I did him the favour according as requested.

Even though his body was taken to a mortuary in Accra, it was not taken good care of. It nearly decayed. It was brought over to the Regina Clinic's mortuary in Kumawu-Besoro, but there was not much they could do to help restore the decomposing body to appreciable state. When it was removed from the mortuary on the day scheduled for its burial, it stunk so much that it could not be taken home but straight away from the hospital to the cemetery. A few people could accompany the hearse to the cemetery due to the extremely high level of stench. He was denied the traditional laying in state and payment of last respects by his loved ones.

The deceased Kontrihene is about to encounter a similar fate emanating from the evil machinations of saboteurs of whom Kumawuhemaa is rumoured to be the principal actor. Why is she planning such a disgraceful humiliation for Kontrihene who was once his buddy? Is it because of the fact that Kontrihene realised his folly of being her errand boy, being stupidly at his beck and call, then wised up and decided not to do her silly bidding?

Does she think by denying him the respect of the chiefs swearing death oath to him while laid in state, will pave the way for Dr Yaw Sarfo's illegal enstoolment to be legitimized? No way!

Nana Prepah Kodua IV was bullied by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and his Asanteman Council when charges of extortion, bribery and corruption were preferred against him by Kumawuhemaa as seen in a video posted on YouTube titled, "Asantehene involves in corruption". When he was on admission to a Kumasi hospital, having collapsed on the day of Dr Yaw Sarfo's illegal swearing-in to become a Kumawu chief-elect, and therefore could not attend that important traditional exercise, he was accused by Asantehene and his cohorts for feigning sick. They had all along accused him of being a traitor. He was conniving and condoning with the Ananangya and Odumase royal families to work against the interests of Kumawuhemaa, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Kumawuhemaa continually asserted.

When at the hospital, Asantehene sent his two palace linguists to go and bundle him off from the hospital to Manhyia Palace. This was to enable Dr Yaw Sarfo swear the oath of allegiance to him (Kontrihene). It was intended for legalizing Dr Yaw Sarfo's scheduled swearing of oath to Asantehene and Asanteman Council. All this was part of a larger scheme to formalize Dr Yaw Sarfo's bogus enstoolment as Kumawuhene. They were only to be resisted by the Medical Doctor of the hospital who knew perfectly well how seriously ill Kontrihene was.

In the end, where is Kontrihene if he was indeed not ill, but feigning sick all of the time since he collapsed? He is now dead. I say, shame on all those who are trying to disgrace his dead body now; many million years well ahead of God's judgment day. He suffered at their hands while he was alive, and in sickness. His dead body is on the way about to suffer human humiliation if his relatives did not intervene. What will become of him then on the Judgment Day that only God knows?

I do not want to comment a lot about his death since I do not know if it was within the design of God. However, I shall report on what is happening to his body, or is about to happen to it if care was not taken.

Whatever Kumawuhemaa and her Benin juju man with Asantehene, Asanteman Council and their accomplices do, Dr Yaw Sarfo's enstoolment is illegal. It can never be formalized under the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. What is illegal shall forever remain illegal. Dr Yaw Sarfo is not my chief today, tomorrow and shall never be, as long as my research has proven that he has breached Constitutional and conventional laws pertaining to enstoolment of Asante's chiefs.

Let me sound a word of caution to Regina, the owner of the Regina Clinic who doubles as the queen of Besoro. It is at this Clinic's mortuary that the body of Kontrihene is known to be at the time of putting out this publication. Please Regina, be it known to you that you are running the clinic and the mortuary for a purpose – to be of service to your people, country and humanity. You are by the hospital and the mortuary also running a business enterprise. Will you allow mischievous persons to run you and the hospital down by their actions? Will your mortuary staff probably accept bribes to treat the body of Kontrihene with shame and disrespect to guarantee its decomposition while it is entrusted to you for proper care? "Asem sebe".

If you do well, you do it for yourself. If you do badly, you also do it for yourself. One thing that we need to remind ourselves of is that, "Whatever goes around, comes around"

Kontrihene Nana Koduah Peprah, damirifa due; due, due ne amanehunu!

I dedicate this publication to the wife, family and friends of Kontrihene.

Rockson Adofo