The Kayoro-pio, Pe Oscar B. Tiyiamo II, the Paramount Chief of the Kayoro Traditional Area, has traced the recent rampant market fires across the country to “Kukula” (deity), a mystery wealth making river in Kayoro near Navrongo.

In an interview over the weekend, he stated that the market fires could be attributed to Kukula because there were so many people including market women and business persons, who consulted the river in the past and failed to come back to fulfill their part of the bargain.

He explained that “Kukula” offered wealth of various forms and degrees to people who visited the river and whoever failed to come back to pay what had been promised, would have a calamity including death and or loss of property befall on him.

“Kukula has so many means of retrieving what it had been promised and the recent market fires cannot be ruled out because there are some market women and business persons who owe Kukula. Some may be dead now and some are alive because every other day they come,” he said.

He pointed out that the god does not forgive those who owed it and that its debts do not go unpaid stressing that market women thronged Kukula yearly to seek monetary and other favours.

The Kayoro-pio indicated that no matter the geographical location of defaulters, Kukula would follow up to demand its pound of flesh and therefore appealed to all those, who had ever visited Kukula and entered into an agreement with it, to remember and come back to pay.

“I am in charge of Kukula deity and I know the consequences associated with those who fail to pay back to Kukula what they promised… I appeal to all those who went to deities for favours to go back and reverse or pay back,” he said.

Kukula is a household name among the people of the Upper East Region specifically, Navongo, Paga, Chiana and Kayoro. It is not unusual to associate mythologies between man and Kukula, which dates back to creation.

Prospective wealth seekers just pledge what they can offer to Kukula in return for their needed wealth and other favours. Kukula like the IMF and the World Bank, debts come with conditions.

If a Kassena man asks you: “Are you Kukula”, it implies you are someone who never forgives or pardons people who owe. In short Kukula like the Shakespearean Sherlock would always demand its pound of flesh.