I wanted to cut electricity supply to noisy church - Regional Minister

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has said, he dropped his earlier plans to stop a noisy church at Anwomanso in the capital from making noise by cutting electricity supply to the premises but had to order the arrest of the head pastor Rev. Kwame Takye upon a second thought.

“I called the ECG Regional boss to cut power supply to the area so they could not continue the church”, the Minister revealed on Kumasi-based Abusua FM.

“But the ECG boss refused to obey my order. So I had to storm the place with armed policemen”, Hon. Simon Osei Mensah told host of Abusua Nkommo Kwame Adinkra on Monday.

According to the Regional Minister, drumming and dancing of the church members became unbearable leaving him to order the arrest of the head pastor and other church leaders on the wee hours of Saturday.

It would be recalled that Regional Minister on Saturday dawn, reportedly stormed the premises of House of Bethel Ministry with armed policemen to effect arrest of the head pastor and his elders.

The arrest was triggered by numerous complaints from neighbours about excessive noise from the church during all night services in the area, according to reports

The pastor, Kwame Takyi, had accused the minister of being under the influence of alcohol when he stormed his church last Saturday.

The Minister who doubles as chairman of the Regional Security Committee, however denied he acted under the influence of any alcoholic beverage.