Prampram ‘stool father’, others arrested over killing of caretaker chief
The stool father of the Prampram Mankralo stool, Nii Nartey, is among the number of undisclosed arrests made by Police following the Thursday murder of the Mankralo [Caretaker Chief ] of Prampram, Nene Atsure Benta III.
Addressing a press conference at Prampram, the Prampram Divisional Police Commander, ACP Dodzi Hlordzi, was initially tight-lipped on the full identities and details of the suspects, but when he was pushed further, he confirmed that the man who calls himself the stool father of the Prampram Mankralo, was also in custody.
“For security reasons, we would not like to disclose the identities now. So we have arrested some people and they are in custody now.”
The murder occurred on Thursday afternoon when Nene Atsure Benta III was returning to Prampram from a meeting at the Dodowa House of Chiefs.
It remains unclear what led to the murder, but indications are that there may be chieftaincy tensions at Prampram.
The murder occurred after Nii Nartey, together with some elders of the Prampram Mankralo stool, held a press conference on Wednesday at Ashaiman, where they leveled some allegations against the deceased.
ACP Hlordzi indicated that police were aware of some tensions and noted that Nii Nartey was pushing for Nene Atsure Benta to be destooled.
But the stool father was eventually asked by elders to back down from his stance following a meeting on Wednesday.
“So he [Nii Nartey] came and complied with the directives given by the elders. So we got back to the Mankralo’s house where we were told by the Mankralo that we [the police] should go back, and that it was a family matter and they had resolved the issue.”
Despite the assurance, the police still detailed men to patrol the town throughout that night and there was “no problem,” ACP Hlordzi recounted.
It was on Thursday that the police were then hit with the news that Nene Atsure Benta had been murdered.
Following the murder, ACP Hlordzi said the police again have intensified security in the area.
“We have men on the ground seriously. We have the BNI [Bureau of National Investigations] here also.”
Nii Nartey’s side
At a press conference on Thursday, Nii Nartey said for some time now, the caretaker chief had failed to perform the necessary rites and functions required of him as a Mankralo.
“Nene Atsure Benta for some time now has failed to perform his core duties as Mankralo and he has failed to respect the elders of the stool. So, as the stool father together with some priests and priestesses as well as some elders of the stool, we went to the family house to destool him on Wednesday afternoon”.
“Few moments after we had performed the destoolment rites, Nene Atsure Benta led a team of well-built men believed to be land guards to my house and launched severe attack on me. They drew me on the floor from my house to the roadside. The land guards who were working on the orders of Nene Atsure Benta fired some warning shots and threated to kill me if I did not reverse the destoolment rites. For the fear of my life, I obliged and followed them to the family house to perform some rites” he narrated.
source: citinewsroom