Tensions flared at Apemanim, near Agona Nkwanta in the Western Region, following a fierce dispute between two families over customary marriage obligations ahead of a joint funeral service.
The controversy erupted during preparations to bury 33-year-old Agya Kwesi, his 27-year-old partner Maabena, their three-week-old son, and Maabena’s five-year-old daughter, all of whom tragically perished in a recent fire outbreak.
Relatives of Maabena halted the proceedings, demanding full payment of her bride price and the completion of all outstanding traditional rites before her interment could proceed.
Reporting on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, reporter Ebenezer Manso-Cudjoe, popularly known as DCE, disclosed that Maabena’s family insisted their deceased daughter be properly honoured according to tradition.
Although the couple had cohabited for years and raised children together, Agya Kwesi had failed to perform the necessary customary marriage rites prior to the fatal incident.
Despite initial plans to bury all four family members together, Maabena’s relatives stood firm, refusing to allow the burial of their daughter and her children until the demands were met.
Intervention by local elders and opinion leaders failed to resolve the stalemate, forcing Agya Kwesi’s family to proceed with his burial alone while the remains of Maabena and the two children remain unburied.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana