Residents of the Brong Ahafo regional capital, Sunyani and villages along the border of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana were yesterday gripped with ‘Gaddafi-mania’ as reports filtered in that the Libyan strongman and his scores of bodyguards were entering the territory. However, he seemed to have played hide-and-seek with the expectant crowd which had gathered to welcome him to the town, amidst conflicting reports about his arrival in Accra for the African Union (AU) Summit on Sunday.

Daily Guide scouts gathered that the Libyan Leader, who preferred to be called Brother Gaddafi, was riding in a convoy of 109 cars with an entourage of 500 people including female security guards. Commercial and school activities in the region almost came to a halt as Daily Guide spotted security personnel drawn from the Sunyani Municipal Police directing traffic and momentarily barring cars from plying the busy Accra-Kumasi route in anticipation of the arrival of Gaddafi and his entourage.

It was rumoured that he would hold a rally at the Nkrumah Park and as well interact with the media in the Brong Ahafo Region before heading to Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, where he was expected to characteristically spend the night in a tent amidst tight security.Gaddafi was expected to meet the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace, after which he would inspect works on the City Hotel, being financed by Ghana-Libya Holding Company Limited. Work on the hotel was said to be at an advanced stage.

Several workers deserted their offices at the Regional administration, while businessmen, policemen, pressmen and a large number of school children abandoned all activities for the day and waited anxiously to hear the sirens, but to no avail. From 2.00pm to 5.30pm the route and time of arrival of President Muammar Gaddafi kept on changing, as the welcoming party, which included fan clubs, streamed from one end of the town to the other, awaiting their idol.

Alas! Information got to the media that the Libyan strongman, as some described him, was then entering Ivory Coast and was expected to reach the borders of Ghana by 4:30pm. This news soon spread like wildfire and some people especially the old and school children, left for their various homes, disappointed.However, some die-hard Gaddafi fans, adorned in T-shirts with his picture and Arabic inscriptions, were not deterred by the disappointing news.

They hanged on until about 5:30pm when information reached them that there was an official announcement on radio entreating all school children who had lined-up the streets of Dormaa and its adjoining towns and villages, to disperse and go home since Brother Gaddafi’s arrival time at the border would be 8.00pm and he would be in Sunyani around 10.00pm.

At that point, the anxious crowd, hungry and disappointed at not witnessing the spectacular arrival of Gaddafi, agreed after discussions and consultations amongst themselves that the Libyan strongman might have heard about the large crowd of admirers waiting to cheer him and decided to have a change of plan. Earlier, the Libyan Leader was in Abidjan where he was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd.Gaddafi, who was en route to Accra for the Africa Union Summit, seemed to have made history as the African Head of State with the largest entourage, and as well making part of the journey by road.

Daily Guide’s reliable source at the Elubo border said the Libyan Leader planned passing through the Noe-Elubo border in the Western region, so the security officials were notified accordingly by the head of security at the place. A few hours later, word reached them again that Gaddafi was entering Ghana through Bonokrom, a border town in the Brong Ahafo region, so the necessary arrangements were made by the Ghanaian Ambassador to La Cote d'Ivoire.

A senior security official at the Elubo border confirmed the arrangements, but added that just in the afternoon of yesterday, the Ghana side of the border was finally notified that Gaddafi and his entourage might go to Accra by air. The source speculated that the 109 vehicles would be left in the care of the La Cote d'Ivoire security agencies in Abidjan and picked by the Libyans on their way back. Gaddafi was said to have arrived in Guinea last Saturday in a convoy made up of several hundreds of vehicles en route to Accra, passing through Sierra Leone to Cote d’Ivoire for the AU Summit.