Eighteen people sustained gunshot wounds during the enthronement of the new chief and new queenmother at Akyem Anamase near Oda in the Eastern Region last Thursday.

The injured persons, including the Queenmother, Nana Akua Aniagyaa II, and Abusuapanin Kwame Amoh aka Opanin Musah, the Head of the royal Oyoko clan of Anamase, were shot alongside 13 others in the convoy carrying the new chief, Nana Kwasi Awuah III and the queenmother shoulder high through the principal streets of the town.

Three other victims, including a MoMo vendor, namely Cudjoe, Philip Azoku and Kofi Boadi, were hit by stray bullets in the street during the indiscriminate firing of gunshots by the hooligans.

The other injured persons, some of who are still on admission at the Oda Government and Jubilee hospitals, include Kwadwo Asiamah, Daniel Ampomah aka D.J. Paste, Kwabena Ahenkorah, Richard Nimako and Elvis Amportey.

Ten of the injured persons were rushed to the Oda Government Hospital, one to the Oda Jubilee Hospital, with the rest seeking medical treatment at different medical facilities.

The new Chief of Anamase, Nana Awuah, known in private life as Odehye Yaw Badu-Mensah, a Tema-based Maritime Consultant and a law student at the University of Ghana, Legon, who narrowly escaped death, last Friday took pains to brief the Daily Graphic about the tragic incident.

Kingmakers

He said after they had obtained a police permit for the event, the kingmakers performed some customary rights and he and her queen mother were carried shoulder high and paraded through the principal streets of Anamase around 6.30 a.m. last Thursday, after which they were to swear the oath of allegiance to the Omanhene of the Akyem Bosome Traditional Area at Akyem Swedru later in the afternoon of that very day.

Nana Awuah stated that around 7 a.m., members of a rival group led by one Kofi Krontih aka Kofi Hwen, who were opposed to the enthronement, led about eight heavily built men armed with guns, machetes and stones, attacked the convoy and shot at them indiscriminately, resulting in the injury of 18 of them.

The chief said he and the men carrying him shoulder high had to flee for their lives.

Medical treatment

He said he later arranged for transport and gave out money to some good Samaritans to rush the injured persons to hospitals for medical treatment.

He said not satisfied with the injuries they had inflicted on the innocent people, the hooligans invaded the Oyoko royal family house and the residence of the queenmother and vandalised everything in sight, including the walls and roofs of buildings, vehicles, traditional drums, as well as expensive musical instruments belonging to a businessman by name Kwame Amoah aka Ohyeho.

Nana Awuah said he and his elders later complained to the Akyem Achiase District Police Headquarters, who came to the town with reinforcement to maintain law and order.

He stated that one of the hooligans, who is a stranger, had been arrested and detained by the police.

When this writer contacted personnel at the Anamase Police Station on the shooting incident, they confirmed it but refused to give details and referred the writer to the District Police Commander at Achiase.

When the Daily Graphic contacted the District Police Commander on the phone, the officer who refused to give his name said the Police Administration had warned District Commanders not to grant an interview to the media.