Traditional authorities at Emena in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region have performed a purification rite following the desecration of the town's cemetery.

The rituals according to chiefs in the area are to prevent bad omens from befalling the families in the community.

A private developer on July 6, 2023, while trying to make way for her building destroyed part of Emena Cemetery

The developer brought trucks to the site, claiming to have obtained a court order to work on the land.

As a result of this development, some bodies have were exhumed, causing alarm among residents.

One month after the bizarre incident, residents in the area raised concerns over some mysterious deaths in the community suspecting that, failure on the part of chiefs to do the rituals was the main cause of deaths in the community.

Following incessant appeals by youth in the area, the chiefs on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, performed special purification rites to pacify the gods at the cemetery.

Speaking to OTEC News reporter Jacob Agyenim Boateng after the rituals, Abusuapanin Kwabena Boateng called for calm in the community.

He added that, per signs at the cemetery, the gods have accepted their rituals and so no bad omen will befall the township.

For his part, the Assemblymember of the Area, Hon Kenneth Owusu Bediako disclosed that the ban on burials has been lifted following the rituals.

He however appealed that, any individual who wants to have anything to do at the cemetery should first consult chiefs in the community for appropriate guidance

He emphasized that the land in question, according to the records of both the Municipal Assembly and chiefs remains a cemetery and called on residents in the area to treat it as such.