The Acting Chief of Amamole and Head of the Okortso Shishi Families at James Town, Nii Ashittey Tetteh, has urged the youth not to take the law into their own hands, even when the pursuit of justice appears to be taking too long.
He said the growing involvement of young people and students in crime, vandalism and drug abuse was worrying and called on the government to take urgent steps to address the situation.
Nii Ashittey Tetteh made the call when he addressed family members last Sunday after the celebration of their Homowo festival.
He also appealed to the government and the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to work towards resolving the numerous chieftaincy disputes in the region, saying the conflicts were retarding development and progress.
He said prolonged chieftaincy disputes had the potential to undermine peace and development and urged the relevant authorities to find lasting solutions to them.
Following his address, Nii Ashittey Tetteh performed customary rites and offered prayers to the ancestors.
He also defended the practice of customary rites and animal sacrifice, saying such practices should not automatically be regarded as fetish.
Nii Ashittey Tetteh cited biblical and Islamic traditions as examples, referring to Abraham’s willingness to offer his son as a sacrifice to God and the slaughtering of animals by Muslims after the Hajj in Mecca.
“Our ancestors have been performing sacrificial rites, Dipo, moral rites and justice, since they migrated from Nostie in Togo to settle at Amamole in the 1340s,” he said.
The Paramount Chief of the Ga people in Glidzi, Togo, Foli Bebe Kanyin II, led a delegation of citizens, including Nii Kai Kwei VIII, Zawla Kpoguede Mantse, and Nii Ayeertey Typamm VIII, Hlande Mantse, to participate in the celebrations.
The ceremony was attended by family members from Ghana and abroad.
BY FRANCIS XAH
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Nii Ashittey Tetteh in a dancing mood after the performance of rites.
Nii Ashittey Tetteh in a discussion with Foli Bebe Kanyin VII from Togo.
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