Some details have started emerging about the circumstances under which the over 300-year-old historic cola tree (bese), said to have been planted by the famous Okomfo Anokye fetish priest at Feyiase near Kumasi, was cut down last Tuesday.
Graphic Online has picked information that a certain pastor, contracted some “town boys” to cut it down.
The pastor, according to some town folks described the tree as fetish, and therefore wanted it cut down.
He did not understand why a recent re-construction of the Atonsu-Esreso-Bosomtwe dual carriageway, did not even affect the tree and that the authorities decided to divert the road and by-passed the tree, protected it and left it untouched.
Pastor
The pastor, therefore, reportedly offered a GH¢5000 inducement to some town boys for them to undertake the operation of cutting down the tree under the cover of darkness.
When Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Baah visited Feyiase on Thursday afternoon [Nov 9, 2023], some residents said they heard the so-called “Man of God” ordered the cutting down of the tree based on his religious beliefs and described it as fetish.
“We are told the Pastor gave the boys GH¢5,000 to cut the tree down”, Kusi Berko, a native of Feyiase told Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Baah.
“In fact that is the news going round our community”, another 72-year-old Agya Marfo also told Graphic Online.
Source: graphiconline.com.gh
