Tragedy Strikes Homowo Festival ,Three Dead
Sowutuom ,Accra,August 30,2025 - Violence marred the Homowo festival in Sowutuom and Anyaa on August 30, 2025, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuring four others. The victims who lost their lives have been named as Abubakar Ramadan Sarbah (Nii Kwashiebu), Theophilus Nii Amu Kwadjan, and Joseph Shaibu Dodoo.
The violence began during the traditional Kpokpoi sprinkling ceremony, a revered Ga custom, when a dispute between supporters of rival chiefs rapidly spiralled out of control. Gunfire erupted, sending panicked celebrants into a frantic scramble for safety.
The mayhem soon spread to Olebu, where fleeing residents were allegedly attacked, further intensifying the chaos.
Four others were injured in the clashes, including Enoch Amevor, Samuel Adjei, Nathaniel Doku, and Frederick Lartey, also known as Nii Obrafour. While Enoch Amevor has been treated and discharged, the other three injured individuals remain on admission at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Ridge Hospital.
Meanwhile ,the Accra Regional Police Command has launched investigations into the violent clashes and deployed additional personnel to restore calm and maintain order in the affected communities. Intelligence-led operations are ongoing to track down and arrest all those connected to the violence.
The police have also cautioned traditional leaders and their followers to strictly respect security arrangements agreed upon for public festivals, warning that such indiscipline would no longer be tolerated.
The bodies of those killed have been taken to the Police Hospital Mortuary for autopsy and preservation. The violent incident has cast a dark shadow over this year's Homowo festival, a key cultural event for the Ga people, reviving worries about the ongoing threat to peace and safety posed by unresolved chieftaincy disputes in Accra.
Read detailed statement from the police below:
Source – Lead News Online/Shiela Amerley Biala
