Accra, Aug. 11, GNA- A large police presence marked the climax of the celebration of this year's Homowo festival of the chief's and people of Ga Mashie in the Greater Accra Region at the week-end. The police personnel from the Rapid Deployment Force, Mounted Squadron, Armoured Car, the Panthers and CID units, with another standby force, barricaded the streets to prevent a possible clash of supporters of different claimant clans to the Gbese stool.

Despite the presence of the police to enforce an order to the various royal houses to restrict the sprinkling of the traditional food, kpokpoi, the Chief of the Ga State, Nii Tackie Tawiah II, and some other chiefs went ahead and publicly sprinkled the traditional food as symbol of the Homowo celebration.

The celebration was also marked with the beating of drums and the chanting of war songs, as royal entourages and other people, mainly the youth clad in red tee shirts accompanied the chiefs. The regent of the Gbese Stool, Nii Tetteh Ahinakwa performed the sprinkling rite on behalf of Nii Ayibonte II in the Gbese Mantse Palace, as Niibi Ayitey Adjin Ayibonte, who identified himself as stool elder, said Nii Ayibonte was still undergoing the rites for full assumption onto the stool.

However, a barricade mounted by the police prevented Nii Okaija III, also a claimant to the stool from going into one of the ruling clan houses, Nii Tetteh Ankamah We to perform the sprinkling rite. Nii Okaija III accused supporters of the Nii Ayibonte for using the police against him and infringing on his right of movement, but the Officer in-Charge of Police Public Relations, Mr Kwasi Ofori said the police had not taken sides and was only preventing a crisscross, which could spark confrontation among the various clans. The Chief of the Ga State, Nii Tackie Tawiah later told journalists that the celebration had been peaceful without violence or any feeling of malice.

He said all the various claimants were still "brothers" and they would remain united despite their differences. Nii Tackie denied any order from any quarters to restrict the celebration to the various clan houses without going public. He outlined his vision for the Ga State as improvement of education, employment and skills training for the youth.