A personal bodyguard of President Nana Akufo-Addo has donated a hearse to the Asamankese Zongo Community in the Eastern region.

Gibrine Issah Tutu, who hails from the community, made the donation at the back of a ban placed on the use of commercial vehicles to convey corpses in the West Akyem Municipality by the Assembly.

According to Tutu, the gesture is to ease the burden on the Muslim Community in conveying their corpses for burial.

“In this community when someone dies and he/she is going to be buried we go to the lorry station to rent commercial vehicle even sometimes they use KIA Trucks to convey the body to the cemetery. This is not a good practice,” he noted.

He added: “This is not only going to serve the Zongo community but the entire Asamankese township either Christian or Muslim because we are all one people.”

Tutu used the occasion to thank President Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve him through which he has been able to mobilize resources to support his community.

He urged the youth to desist from lawlessness and other deviant behaviours while assuring of lobbying for the construction of an astro turf park Project under the Ministry of Zongo and Inner Cities.

The Chief Imam of Asamankese Alhaji Alhassan Hussein commended the President’s Bodyguard for the unprecedented kind gesture. According to him, the Vehicle will serve two purposes as Ambulance and Hearse.

“This is the first time the Muslim Community in Asamankese has been gifted with an Ambulance. In most cases if someone is in emergency condition and referred to Koforidua Regional Hospital and you need ambulance, it takes so many hours because Asamankese hospital doesn’t have ambulance for the past two years so you need to arrange one from Akwatia. Even before it comes you need to hectically negotiate for the price if you can’t pay they will never come so you will be compelled to accept all that they will say either you have money or not because you don’t want to lose your love one. Painfully, you need to tip the driver as well so this will help us again it will serve us a hearse,” he stated.

The Municipal Chief Executive for West Akyem, Seth Oduro, said the practice where taxis and other commercial vehicles were used to transport passengers and foodstuff, as well as corpses, was a major health concern hence the decision.

He therefore commended the Bodyguard of the President for coming to the aid of the Muslim community.