The Eastern Regional Police Command has arraigned 34 suspects, including six chiefs, over a violent incident in Ahwerase that left one person dead and three others injured during a ceremony linked to the annual Odwira Festival.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 23, 2025, the command said the deceased, identified as Isaac Nana Kwasi, died during disturbances that broke out as part of the ritual to lift the ban on drumming and noise-making ahead of the festival.
The injured are receiving treatment at the Presbyterian Hospital in Aburi, while the body of the deceased has been deposited for preservation and autopsy.
The clash occurred as the community prepared for the Odwira Festival, a major cultural celebration among the Akuapem people of Ghana that marks purification, unity, and thanksgiving at the end of the harvest season.
Tradition requires a period of silence before the festival, and the lifting of the ban is considered a key moment in the celebrations.
According to the police statement, tensions rose between two traditional leaders, the Abokomahene of the Asona family and the Abimuhene of Ahwerase, over who had the right to perform the ritual.
The disagreement reportedly escalated into gunfire involving some young men, resulting in one death and several injuries.
The suspects have been charged with rioting with offensive weapons and causing unlawful harm. Police retrieved two firearms an Umarex pistol (No. MP160407589) and a Cyborg Magnum Force Pump Action (No. 602-H25YT-516), along with four live cartridges and four spent cartridges.
Superintendent Ebenezer Tetteh, Head of Public Affairs for the Eastern Regional Command, said the area is calm and under close police watch.
He added that additional security has been deployed before and during the Odwira Festival to maintain peace in the community.
Investigations are ongoing, and the police said all those found culpable will face the full rigours of the law.