News
Kobidi AME Zion School teachers, pupils back to school …after rituals to revoke curses
Teaching and learning resumed on Monday at Kobidi AME Zion primary and Junior High School as teachers and learners returned to school after a week break occasioned by a delusion over the death of two headmasters and a teacher.
This was after rituals had been performed by the chief priest of the area – Kobidi, to stop the strange deaths recorded in the school.
The town, located in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region, was in the news last week following the death of two headmasters and a teacher of the school.
When The Spectator visited the school premises last week, it was totally deserted with parents complaining as the children roam in town.
The death of the two were initially attributed to curses invoked on the school authorities by a disgruntled learner who was unhappy about some treatment.
But from a follow-up by The Spectator on the latest development, it emerged that the curse was actually invoked by an occasional visitor to the school who many considered as mentally unbalanced.
After consultation with the traditional authorities, rituals were performed for learners and teachers to return to school.
According to the Queen mother of the town, Nana Ansu Ameyaa Gyeabour who addressed a press conference, the performance of the rituals followed consultations with the chief priest of the area.
“The nature of the issue required that we consult the chief priest of the town. It was after that consultation that he requested three rams, fowls, bottle of schnapps and some cash amount to prepare the rituals,” she said.
She explained that traditionally, that cost should have being on the family of the man that invoked the curses but due to the financial constraints, members of the community were made to contribute to pay.
“Under normal circumstances, the family of the man that invoked the curse was supposed to bear the cost of the fine but were financially constraint. As a result, households were levied Gh₵100 each to raise the money.”
Narrating the full story, the Assembly Member of the area, known as Mr Boateng said the mentally deranged man occasionally visited the school to demand a portion of food served the children under the national school feeding programme.
And most of the time, Mr Boateng said, he was denied.
Mr Boateng, said one of the days when his request was refused, he got angry and rained curses on the school authorities, specifically calling the death of any staff that embezzled any fund belonging to the school.
Subsequently, two successive head teachers and a teacher have died but what cannot be confirmed was whether it was associated with the curses and whether the three victims embezzled school funds.
Strangely, the perceived mental patient would return a day or two after the deaths to remind the staff of his curses.
That obviously caused fear and panic among the staff, culminating in the closure of the school from May 18 until last Friday’s rituals to pacify the gods and revoke the curses.
The perceived mentally challenged man has currently been excommunicated from the township for safety reasons and is reported to be in Chiraa, a nearby town.
From Daniel Dzirasah, Kobidi
The Volta North Regional Police Command has secured a conviction of a 27 year old man Mohammed Rafiu for making unlawful entry and stealing church musical instruments at Hohoe in the Volta Region.
On June 5, 2026 the accused was observed near the Faith International Ministry Church carrying a sack containing various items rushing to hail a car.
The witnesses suspected his action and approached to check the content in the sack. The following items were found, One (1) Amplifier, One (1) equalizer, One (1) mixer and
Cross-over Machine all belonging to the church.
The accused was arrested and brought to the Hohoe Police District where he admitted to police to the charges leveled against him.
On Monday June 8, 2026 the accused was put before the Hohoe circuit cout where he pleaded guilty on two counts and was convicted and sentenced to three (3) years for unlawful entry and four (4) years of stealing.
Both sentences are to run concurrently.
The Volta North Regional Police Command has urged the general public to immediately report any suspected criminal activities to the Police for action.
News
Dome-Kwabenya MP, Ga East MCE tour flood-prone areas in the constituency, assure victims of support
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Elikplim Akurugu, together with the Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Edmund Agboh, and officials of the assembly, have toured several flood-prone communities in the constituency to identify the causes of recent flooding and inspect structures obstructing waterways.
The inspection made on the Monday, 8th June, 2026 formed part of efforts to assess the extent of the flooding, identify structures built on waterways, and develop plans for their demolition to prevent future occurrences.
Some areas visited during the tour included Christian Village, Sesemi, Abokobi Station, Falaku and the Pure Water area, all of which were affected by the recent floods that hit parts of the constituency.
Speaking to the media after the inspection, the MP expressed sadness over the destruction caused by the floods, noting that although no lives were lost, many residents had suffered significant property damage.
She attributed much of the flooding to human activities such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and the construction of buildings on waterways and drainage channels.
The MP appealed to residents to change their attitudes towards sanitation and environmental management, stressing that the country did not have a deficit of prayers but rather an attitude deficit.
She assured residents that the assembly and its technical team would immediately begin work to address some of the drainage challenges identified during the tour.
Ms. Akurugu sympathised with residents whose homes and businesses were affected by the floods and assured them that efforts were being made to secure relief items to support them.
The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Edmund Agboh, said the inspection was intended to take stock of the causes of the recent flooding, which he described as unprecedented.
According to him, the assembly wants to be proactive by identifying and addressing the factors responsible for the flooding before the next rainy season.
Mr. Agboh blamed part of the problem on the increasing number of structures being erected on waterways and drainage paths, as well as the failure of some residents to comply with building regulations.
He disclosed that many of the structures identified during the inspection would be marked for demolition after the necessary procedures had been completed.
The MCE further announced plans to intensify inspections, particularly on weekends, explaining that some developers often undertake unauthorised construction works on Saturdays and Sundays when assembly officials are not at work.
He said the assembly would collaborate with neighbouring jurisdictions and deploy additional resources to improve drainage systems and reduce flooding in the municipality.
The MCE assured that the assembly will use the findings from the inspection to implement immediate and long-term measures aimed at reducing flooding and protecting lives and property in Dome-Kwabenya.
The Director of Works at the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Engineer Justine Glover, said the team inspected several critical locations along the Dakobi River and other flood-prone areas.
He explained that at Pantang Village, officials directed contractors to excavate and open blocked culvert outlets to allow the free flow of water during rainfall.
At Sesemi, he said the team observed extensive damage caused by upstream developments and the absence of proper drainage infrastructure.
Engineer Glover added that officials recommended dredging drainage channels at Abokobi Station to improve the performance of existing culverts.
He further revealed that some structures identified on waterways at Falaku had been earmarked for demolition as part of efforts to restore the natural flow of water.
In addition to the inspection, the MP and the MCE visited residents affected by the floods in the Pure Water area to offer words of encouragement and assure them of support.
The tour also revealed that many residents had constructed buildings on waterways, while several structures lacked the required building permits, a situation officials said had contributed significantly to the flooding experienced in the constituency.
By: Jacob Aggrey
