Anyako Paramount Chief Squares Off With Residents Over Community Idol

• Tension is rising in Anyako, a community in the Keta Municipality, as the paramount chief locked away the sacred Nayo shrine, halting annual rituals
• The move, which began in May 2025, has sparked outrage among residents who fear spiritual consequences
• Community members, frustrated with the chief's actions and perceived disconnect, vowed to stop following his leadership

Tension is brewing in Anyako, an island community in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region as the area's paramount chief, Togbi Tenge Dzokoto Gligui VII, hijacked an important community idol, sparking fears of potential spiritual repercussions for the community.

The dispute, which started in May 2025, centres around the chief's decision to lock the shrine of the community idol called Nayo, hindering the performance of annual rituals and creating a rift between the chief and his people.

The chief priest, who is traditionally in charge of the shrine, and other residents indicated that the paramount chief had demanded the key to the shrine and had subsequently locked it.

Read also

Ghanaian celebrities and politicians mourn music icon Daddy Lumba: “RIP legend”

This action has been met with surprise and anger, as community members say no previous chiefs have ever made such a demand.

Nayo is believed to be the protector of the Anyako township, and residents fear that failing to perform the annual rituals on time could bring calamity upon the town.

Adding to the residents' frustration is the chief's perceived disconnection from the community.

They accuse him of being absent from important meetings and out of touch with their concerns.

This has led to a loss of confidence in his leadership, with many vowing not to follow him anymore.

Anyako residents react to dispute over deity

An elder and native of Anyako, Kwadzo Reuben Fiakpornu, expressed his frustration.

“When he was enstooled as paramount chief, has he heard before that any of his predecessors came for the key before he's today demanding it? I saw his action as provocation and we are so tired of it,” he said.

Read also

Woyome’s family drags those behind his death rumours to Nogokpo shrine

“As he's now joking with us, we'll also joke with him. We won't take him seriously. We will never follow him anywhere again,” Fiakpornu added.

Another concerned citizen, Kwaku Akortor, echoed these sentiments.

“.[Togbi] is overstepping his boundaries. We made him paramount chief, not chief priest for him to be demanding the key to Nayo. If the deity starts doing something, it is us that will be affected but he came and locked the door on the deity, putting the annual ritual for the deity in limbo. If this [ritual] is not done, it causes a lot of problems: sudden deaths, water problems…,” Akortor said.

While the annual ritual was eventually performed, the tension remains high as the chief has reportedly locked the shrine again.

Sacred ram stolen in Hohoe

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that a sacred ram intended for shrine sacrifice went missing in the Hohoe municipality, sparking a warning from the owner.

Read also

Ramsar demolitions: Assemblyman laments unfair treatment despite support for NDC campaign

The theft, which occurred on June 16, 2025, left the community in distress as the owner vowed to invoke the wrath of the gods.

In another incident, a 55-year-old man in the Krachi East District was paraded through his community with a goat he was accused of stealing.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh