Accra (Greater Accra), 13th May ?99 ?

Victory Bible Church on Thursday appealed to the government and law enforcement agencies to investigate an incident in which the Reverend Tackie Yarboi, General Overseer of the church, was brutalised by thugs believed to have been ordered by Sakumowulomo.

A statement issued in Accra said on Sunday, May nine, seven VW LT buses full of people who claimed to have been sent by the Sakumowulomo entered the church's premises at Awoshie wielding broken bottles, stones, canes, sticks and knives.

The group, who claimed they had been sent by Sakumowulomo, seized three of the loud speakers of the Church and drove away with them.

According to the statement, Rev Tackie Yarboi and four elders of the church followed the group to the residence of the Sakumowulomo at Bukom to verify their claim.

"When they got to Bukom, close to the house of the Sakumowulomo, many young men surrounded and started heckling them, especially Rev. Tackie Yarboi."

It said Sakumowulomo himself ordered the young men to brutalise Rev Tackie Yarboi. "Everyone pounced on them and they were beaten to the extent of using sticks, stones and other objects."

The statement said the pastor sustained a cut on his head, had a swollen jaw and bruises on his body.

"What happened on Sunday proved that the Ga Traditional Council is bent on going to any extent, including looting, brutalising and destroying property, in a bid to enforce the ban on drumming without recourse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies."

The statement said the church has therefore appealed to the Ghana Pentecostal Council, the Christian Council of Ghana, and the Police Striking Force to act quickly to avert the aggravation of the situation in the interest of peace and religious co-existence.

Victory Church was one of the Churches that was attacked last Friday and Sunday by groups of people in a bid to enforce the ban on drumming imposed by the Ga Traditional Council as a prelude to the Ga Homowo Festival.