By Seth Danquah
Takoradi, Oct 27, GNA – Shops, offices and businesses in Takoradi especially the Central Business District (CBD) of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis are closing earlier as the funeral rites of the late Nana Obo Atta Kojo Essoun II, Chief of Takoradi Amanful approached.
The earlier closure follows a directive from the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to them to close at 1700 hours on Thursday, 26 and Friday 27th, October 2023, ahead of preparations towards the final funeral rites of the late chief.
Stores, and businesses in some areas of the Metropolis were all closed as announced in a directive approved at an emergency Metropolitan Security Council (METSEC) meeting after discussions between Assembly officials and elders of the Takoradi Amanful Stool.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the CBD, noted that vehicular and human movement around the CBD were reduced after the 1700-hour ultimatum whereas noise-making activities and petty trading activities were also reduced to the barest minimum.
Some palace guards and officials clad in red and black with red bands on their hands wielding locally manufactured guns and looking terrifying were seen parading some of the streets, while a private salon car was patrolling the street to drive away or arrest recalcitrant shop owners.
The customary and traditional procedures for the burial and last funeral rites of the late chief warranted the restrictions to specific areas of the Metropolis, according to a statement released and signed by Mr John Latese, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the STMA and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Takoradi.
The statement mentioned the affected areas to include, the Asempa Hotel (located along Paa Grant Boulevard) to C. P. Kainyah Avenue, close to Cape Coast Station, through Super Star Hotel to the former Mr Yesterday Shop, close to Market Circle Access Bank, through Liberation Road (Zenith Bank, Old Accra Station, All Needs Super Market to the Asempa Hotel).
According to the statement on Saturday, October 28, all stores would be closed, except those that provide essential services like pharmacies, medical facilities, banks, restaurants, and commercial transportation companies.
The public is therefore advised to observe the instructions to guarantee a smooth and peaceful burial and the completion of the late chief’s funeral ceremonies.
GNA