Eric Ato Appiah Mends, the Acting Gyaasehene of the Nkusukum Traditional Area in the Mfantseman Municipality, known by his stool name Nana Beeyin II, has been remanded by the Cape Coast District Court following a tragic altercation during the Odambia Festival.
The incident, which occurred on October 25, resulted in the death of 52-year-old Kwesi Melchoir, allegedly over a longstanding chieftaincy dispute.
The court, led by Her Worship Anita Sheila Crabb, charged Mends with murder and ordered him into custody pending his next court appearance on November 11, 2024.
According to reports, the dispute stemmed from tensions within the Nkusukum Traditional Council over festival rituals, with one faction opposing the slaughter of a cow—a disagreement that escalated into the fatal confrontation.
Abusuapanyin Solomon Ato Budu-Hagan, the family head of the Nkusukum Amansea Twidan royal house, voiced the community’s grief and called for swift justice, describing the shocking impact of the incident on the local community.
