Monkeys are known to be full of antics and friendly as pets. It is this special bond that may have caused a 41-year-old undertaker to organise a fitting funeral for his pet monkey.
Unfortunately, Mr Francis Owusu, popularly called Amanama, died under bizarre circumstances when his motorbike got involved in a freak accident.
The people of Bekwai and Kotwia, two towns in the Amansie Municipality in the Ashanti Region, are both angry and shocked at the unusual behaviour of Owusu and are yet to come to terms with the news of the death of the popular photographer who also doubled as an undertaker while preparing for the funeral of his pet monkey.
Speaking to The Mirror last Tuesday, an uncle of the deceased, Mr Yaw Nkrumah, said a neighbour of Owusu was threatened by the monkey and she hit the animal with a stick leading to its death last Saturday at about 5: 00 p.m.
Owusu was said to have picked a quarrel with the woman and later kept the dead animal in a wooden box and placed it in front of his room, got heavily drunk and started weeping to mourn the animal.
The following day, while returning from Bekwai where he worked, he packed a set of canopies at the back of his motorbike to be used for the wake of his pet.
On his way back to Kotwia, however, in his attempt to avoid collision with an oncoming car, the poles of the canopy hit a lady who was standing by the road, dragged her for a while and in the process destabilised the bike. As a result, Owusu fell off the motorbike and it landed on him, crushing his head in the process.
People in the area quickly rushed him to the Bekwai Government Hospital, where he was given first aid before he was referred to the Emergency Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where he died five days later.
His body was then transferred to the Bekwai Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
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