Ampabame residents abandon newly constructed toilet for fear of being killed

For fear of being killed, residents of Ampabame Number One in the Ashanti Region have been compelled to ditch a newly constructed toilet facility.

Residents believe that human sacrifice would be required before anyone in the community could use the ultra-modern 32-seater toilet facility.

This comes after a priestess serving the Tano gods, guardians of the Bomofia stream, near the facility stated that the gods are displeased with residents’ constant dumping of waste into the stream.

The 32-seater toilet facility is located near the Bomofia stream and a short walk from the Tano shrine, according to the priestess, the gods are unhappy with the location of the septic tank and the actions of the residents, thus the call for five human lives.

The fear-stricken residents have therefore resorted to open defecation.

The facility, according to the Assembly Member of the area, Richard Ofosuhene, has been locked up due to low patronage.

“This is an old town so there are no toilet facilities in the various houses. So the Chief decided to construct a KVIP for them to avoid open defecation. He also supported the construction with funds but since it was constructed and commissioned, the people claim there is a deity there and it was demanding for 5 human beings” he admitted.

The Assembly Member added that they are still in talks with the fetish priest and family heads to find alternative rituals in place of the human sacrifice.

“She happens to be the spiritual backbone of the community so if anything is going on in the community, she has to know. She said she was not consulted before the construction so she has to bring something in for them to know that she is indeed the backbone of the community. She says the right thing should have been done before the commissioning of the project,” Mr. Ofosuhene narrated on Joynews monitored by theghanareport.com.

He also mentioned that the shrine was just recently moved to the vicinity.

The toilet project is said to have started back in 2005 and took a span of 15 years to be completed.

The 32-seater facility will be the second public toilet in the town to serve the larger population if commissioned.