There was chaos at Nkotompo, a fishing community in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, on August 23, after a group of young men suspected of engaging in sakawa rituals were held hostage by angry residents.
The group, reportedly numbering about ten, arrived in expensive vehicles and were seen dropping a coffin wrapped in a sack into the sea triggering panic and outrage.
According to eyewitnesses, the men, dressed in white garments and t-shirts with mystical symbols, including one woman, carried a strange object to the shoreline and dumped it in the water.
“They said they came from Accra. Why didn’t they drop that sack in any other sea on their way? Why here? Until they remove it, we’re not letting them leave,” one furious resident told reporters.
Another local claimed the community feared it could be a human body, demanding the group retrieve the item before leaving Nkotompo.
The standoff quickly escalated, prompting intervention from local leaders and the Assembly Member for the area, Frederick Acheampong, who confirmed the incident on Connect FM’s Omanbapa Morning Show.
“Residents called me early in the morning, angry about some suspected sakawa boys dropping something mysterious into the sea. We’ve tried calming them down and called in the chief to help mediate. The group is currently at the palace,” Acheampong said.
The group’s leader, Lord Ackam, denied the sakawa accusations, saying they belonged to a spiritual society known as the Spiritual Scientists.
“One of our members passed away, and according to our tradition, we had to drop some of his belongings into the sea. That’s all we did,” he explained.
Other group members backed his claim, insisting they only dropped symbolic items such as rosaries, candles, and personal effects, not a human body.
The matter was eventually brought under control at the chief’s palace, where traditional authorities stepped in to prevent further unrest. The group has since been handed over to the police for further investigation.
