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Deep tensions are brewing in the Kwahu Traditional Area as the continued police occupation of the Kwahu Abene Palace threatens the performance of one of the most sacred rites in Akan tradition, the Akwasidaekese.
In Akan custom, Awukudae and Akwasidae are highly revered sacred days, with Akwasidaekese marking a grand spiritual moment at the beginning and end of the year.
These rites are central to honouring the gods and ancestors, reaffirming traditional authority, and ensuring spiritual continuity. Kwahu, like other Akan states, has observed these traditions for centuries.
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The current impasse stems from a police raid on the Kwahu Abene Palace in late 2025, carried out amid an unresolved chieftaincy dispute. Since then, the palace, considered the ancestral and spiritual heart of Kwahu, has remained under police occupation.
The prolonged presence of security personnel has denied traditional authorities access to their ancestral seat, with no clear public explanation offered for why the occupation continues months after the operation.
Following the raid, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, publicly dissociated himself from the operation and assured Kwahu chiefs that an investigative body would be established to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Despite repeated engagements with state authorities and assurances that the palace would be handed back to the chiefs, no action has been taken, leaving the palace still under police control.
The situation has become more urgent as Sunday, February 1, 2026, marks the first Akwasidaekese of the year. By tradition, Kwahu chiefs are required to gather at Kwahu Abene to perform sacred rituals tied to the ancestral stools and gods of the land.
However, with the palace still occupied, these rites face the unprecedented possibility of being conducted without access to the sacred space, a development many traditional authorities say undermines the very essence of the ceremony.
The continued occupation has raised broader concerns about respect for customary authority, the protection of cultural heritage, and the freedom of traditional institutions to carry out their lawful and spiritual duties without interference.
Observers warn that denying chiefs access to their ancestral palace, especially during sacred festivals, risks eroding trust between the state and traditional authorities and could set a troubling precedent.
As the date for Akwasidaekese draws closer, pressure is mounting on the relevant authorities to resolve the matter urgently, honour commitments made, and restore the Kwahu Abene Palace to its rightful custodians before sacred tradition is disrupted and cultural dignity compromised.
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