Blows over dead bodies: chiefs vs residents

TENSION has reached boiling point at Pramso, in the Bosomtwe District of Ashanti Region, as angry residents and chiefs in the area, have reportedly clashed over the exhumation and re-burial of dead bodies at the Pramso Cemetery.

The Nkosuohene of Pramso, Nana Nyame Agyeman, has explained that the ongoing exercise, for which about 100 buried bodies have been exhumed from the cemetery for re-burial, was intended to make way for a road project from Dompoase Junction to Abono.

According to him, reports that the traditional leaders at Pramso were digging the dead bodies for re-burial at Pramso in order to pave way for a private developer to use the old cemetery land for a building project, was false so it should be rejected by the public.

Speaking with Kofi Asante of Akoma FM in Kumasi, the Pramso Nkosuohene disclosed that the said ongoing road construction works from Dompoase Junction to Abono is so huge, as it would affect about 13 buildings, which would be also be pulled down very soon.

Meanwhile, angry residents of Pramso, who had earlier on expressed their frustrations on the same network, alleged that the chiefs have taken advantage of the road project to exhume more dead bodies so that they could sell the cemetery to a private developer.

According to them, the number of tombs in the Pramso cemetery that the road project would affect are just 25 but the traditional leaders, allegedly, have exhumed more dead bodies, with the clandestine intentions of selling the cemetery land to a private developer.

The Pramso residents said the area where the dead bodies were being re-buried in their community is located very close to a river body, which serves as the source of potable drinking water to a sizable number of people, so it could lead to health problems in the area.

In a related development, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosomtwe, Joseph Assuming, has said the Assembly was aware of the exhumation of dead bodies at the Pramso cemetery for re-burial for a road project, explaining that “I am aware that only 16 bodies have been exhumed, so far”.