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Misuse of firearms at funeral: Tenager loses pregnancy, another loses eyes
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The cry of a baby that never came will haunt Hiawu Besease in the Atwima Nwabiagya South District of Ashanti for years.
At a funeral meant to honour the mother of Nana Aboagye Asare III, Chief of Besease, a gunfire rang out—and a bullet tore into the abdomen of 19-year-old Serwaa Alice, heavily pregnant.
Doctors at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital could not save her unborn child.
Beside her, 13-year-old Maa Adwoa collapsed, struck in the eye. She remains in critical condition at the Nkawie Government Hospital. The incident took place on March 13, 2026.
“We were mourning already, and suddenly we are mourning even more,” said Abigail, Serwaa’s sister, trembling as she recalled the moment.
“The bodyguard was firing gun and it hit my sister in her abdomen and the other lady. It was devastating,” she added.
The tragedy has ignited outrage across Besease. Residents are demanding answers, questioning why firearms were discharged so close to mourners. “This is not tradition, this is recklessness,” an elder lamented.
The Committee Chairman of the area, Mr Emmanuel Asante, confirmed that the victims were rushed to hospital. Serwaa Alice was admitted to the emergency unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), but doctors could not save her baby. Maa Adwoa is receiving treatment at Nkawie Government Hospital, her condition still uncertain as of the time of filing the story.
The incident has sparked outrage across Besease. Residents are demanding answers, questioning why firearms were discharged so close to mourners. “This is not tradition, this is recklessness,” one elder lamented again. “We fire muskets to honour the dead, but this was careless gunplay that has destroyed lives,” he added.
In Akan communities, gun salutes at funerals are meant to honour the departed. But in recent years, misuse of firearms has turned symbolic gestures into deadly risks. The incident at Hiawu Besease has reignited debate: should gunfire at funerals be regulated—or banned outright?
Community leaders are pressing for a formal investigation. Residents want clarity on whether the bodyguard acted under instruction or negligence. Police have yet to issue a full statement, but pressure is mounting.
For now, two families bear the weight of grief: one mourning a baby who never drew breath, another praying for a girl fighting for hers. As one relative put it, “The echoes of gunfire at Hiawu Besease will not fade quickly.”
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
Deputy National Women Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mimi Duah, has openly declared her support for Mavis Hawa Koomson as the next National Women’s Organiser of the party.
In a statement endorsing Hawa Koomson’s candidature, Ms Duah outlined four key reasons why she believes the former MP and Minister of State is best placed to lead the party’s women’s wing.
According to her, Hawa Koomson is a motherly figure who rose from the grassroots and is widely noted for her forgiving nature and ability to foster unity.
“She is a true grassroots mother who easily forgives, fosters unity, provides guidance and arbitrates to ensure all aggrieved party women are brought on board to ensure a unified women’s wing,” she stated.
Ms Duah also pointed to Hawa Koomson’s vast experience, having served as a Constituency Women’s Organiser, Member of Parliament and Minister of State, noting that the experience positions her to provide effective leadership as National Women’s Organiser.
She further described Hawa Koomson as capable of making the women’s wing resourceful, through her extensive network and business contacts, to lobby for logistics, training and financial support for women organisers at all levels.
Lastly, she said the NPP as an opposition party needs fearless, bold and assertive leadership at the women’s front to inspire regional, constituency and polling station women organisers as the party reorganises towards the 2028 elections.
“We need a Women’s Organiser who has been tested, who is bold, who understands grassroots women, and who can lead us to victory in 2028. Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson is that leader,” she stressed.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister inaugurates Ghana-Korea Heritage Project Steering Committee
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has inaugurated the Ghana-Korea Heritage Project Steering Committee to provide strategic oversight for a five-year programme focused on preserving Ghana’s heritage sites and strengthening their resilience to climate change.
The project will support climate-risk mapping, digital surveying and 3D modelling, joint research, capacity building, community engagement and modern monitoring technologies.
Korea is also providing specialised equipment, including drones, 3D scanners, digital microscopes, thermal imaging cameras and GPS survey instruments, to enhance Ghana’s capacity to scientifically assess, document and conserve heritage structures.
The partnership, which will run through 2030 and beyond, is expected to deepen Ghana-Korea cultural ties while promoting sustainable, technology-driven and climate-adaptive heritage management for future generations.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
