Confusion rocks funeral, coffin abandoned in the middle of community for days

On June 25, 2018, confusion erupted during the burial of a man at Komenda Dompuase in the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region, resulting in his coffin being abandoned in the middle of the community for days.

The coffin, which was supposed to be used in burying the deceased person, was left in the middle of the town after the deceased’s family reportedly refused to bury their relative with it because it was coming from the widow, who claimed she wanted to have nothing to do with them.

As a result, the widow and her family refused to join them in the wake keeping on Friday and the burial service on Saturday, which raised concerns among other mourners.

Read the article originally published by GhanaWeb on June 25, 2019, below:

On June 25, 2029, confusion broke out during the burial of the deceased person at Komenda Dompuase in the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region, resulting in a coffin being abandoned in the middle of the community for days.

The coffin, which was supposed to be used in burying the deceased person, was left in the in the middle of the town after deceased’s family refused to bury their relative with it because it was coming from the widow, who claimed she wanted to have nothing to do with them.

The widow and her family refused to join them in the wake keeping on Friday and the burial service on Saturday which raised concerns among other mourners.

This prompted the family to find out from their in-laws why they have refused to join them in mourning but realized they also mounted separate canopies away from the funeral grounds and were also holding their version of the celebration.

Spokesman for the family, Kofi Quarshie told MyNewsGh.com that the family asked them to move and join them at the funeral grounds but their in-laws refused over unexplained reasons.

“We had no option than to give back their coffin to them since they didn’t want to have anything to do with us,” he stated.

According to him, the family then went in for a new coffin to bury the deceased and asked them to come for theirs, but since they refused, it was left in the middle of the town at the mercy of the sun and rain, as the widow’s family has also decided not to go for the coffin.

Obaapanyin Efua Anto, head of the widow’s family, however, disclosed to MyNewsGh.com that they handed it over to the deceased’s family and performed all the necessary rites, the reason they cannot take the coffin back.