The Okyehene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has outlawed private burials conducted at homes and on personal lands, describing such places as inappropriate for the burial of the dead.
He stated that cemeteries are the designated and proper places for burial, stressing that individuals should not assume that owning land gives them the right to bury their loved ones on it.
According to him, the increasing use of boreholes in homes makes the practice risky, as burying the dead in residential areas could pose health concerns.
He further indicated that all district assemblies within Akyem Abuakwa will be formally notified, noting that chiefs are the custodians of the land and, therefore, assemblies cannot grant permits for burials in private homes.
“From now on, no one should bury their relatives in private homes. The cemetery is the proper place for burial. In this modern era, where people even drill boreholes at home for water, burying someone in the house is not appropriate. It goes against Akyeman customary rules to bury relatives at home. Find a way to lay the dead to rest in cemeteries, not in homes,” he said.
Recently, the Ga State also insisted that, with its long-standing traditions, burial practices have always been clear, as the dead are not interred in private homes but rather in designated cemeteries or royal mausoleums.
The Okyehene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has outlawed private burials conducted at homes and on personal lands, stressing that such practices contravene the customs and traditions of his jurisdiction.
www.ghanaweb.com
‘No one should bury a deceased at a private home or land’ – Okyehene warns
