Akyem-Swedru Chieftaincy Dispute; 1 Person Dead, 4 Injured

One person has been reported dead while six others are said to have sustained various degrees of injury following a shooting incident at the Akyem Swedru palace in the Abirim South District of the Eastern Region on Sunday. DAILY GUIDE gathered that 16 suspects had been arrested by the Akim Oda Police Command for their alleged involvement in the act. The palace was purportedly set ablaze while three police vehicles were alleged to have been vandalised. In one of its publications last week, DAILY GUIDE gave a hint about an imminent violence in the town but the report might have fallen on deaf ears. Reports gathered indicated that the queen mother of the Akyem Bosome Traditional Area, during the celebration of the Akwasidae on Sunday, stormed the palace without the notice of the chief to pour libation. Sources said the chief, Okotwaresuo Kantamanto Oware Agyekum III, performed the same right, which resulted in a crash between the traditional rulers. Asafoakyere Kofi Asante, an alleged leader of the queen mother�s faction, purportedly mobilised some stoutly built men to attack the chief, as they claimed he (chief) had been destooled and so needed not participate in any activities at the palace. DAILY GUIDE learned that the chief, who had no helper at the time, quickly called the Swedru police for protection. Eyewitnesses said the scene became rowdy which allegedly made the Asafoakyere�s gang fire guns that injured the six people and left one person dead. The injured persons were quickly rushed to the Akyem Swedru Roman Catholic Hospital for treatment, while the body of the deceased has been deposited at the same health facility for autopsy. The Akim Oda police commander, Chief Supt James Sarfo Peprah in an interview with this paper, confirmed the incident. He said the suspects were in police custody and would be transferred to the regional police command to be charged and sent to court. According to information,a team of military men later came to quell the mayhem.