YWO DEAD FISHERMEN IN HOMOWO EXPEDITION

After setting out on a fishing trip before daybreak on Thursday, two fishermen from Tema Manhean were reportedly killed in a conflict with security personnel from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).


It is not known what caused the fatal maritime accident that resulted in the deaths of two fisherman.


The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture announced in May 2023 that the close season that began on July 1, 2023, would end on July 31, 2023. However, the Ga traditional council has made arrangements with the Ministry of Fisheries since the close season's inception in 2016 that allow a designated team to go fishing in order to get some fish for the annual Homowo festival, as custom demands.

For the month or number of days that the government specifies, fishermen are not allowed to go fishing during the closure season.


In light of this tragic event, Nii Odametey II, Chief Fisherman of Tema Awudum, stated, "The Ga communities were in their festival period, and they had an arrangement with the Ministry for such an expedition, adding that all the security agencies were aware as that was the normal practise since the closed season commenced four years ago."

Crew members "went fishing at around midnight on Thursday" but later "reported that they were on duty when GPHA's security allegedly beat them, resulting in the deaths of two" (03:30-04:00).

He also said the police had been notified and that officers had gone to the canoe beach to confirm the deaths before the bodies were taken to the mortuary at the International Maritime Hospital in Tema Community Three.

Since Homowo is always held in August, he reasoned, the security must be aware that the Ga Traditional Council has permission to fish for their festival at this time.

Mr. Yasil Arafat Ali, GPHA's night security guard, said that twelve fishermen were aboard the boat that reportedly crashed with the security canoe.

Mr. Ali, recounting the events based on the accounts of the 10 survivors, claimed that the fishermen had been throwing their net in the higher portion of the sea for some time but had not caught the fish they were looking for.

They saw the GPHA launch coming down from above, and without asking any questions, they ran it over the canoe and flipped it.

They were thrown into the sea, and after they recovered enough to turn off the canoe, they discovered the bodies of the two fisherman inside.

Mr. Isaac Tawiah, manager of marketing and public relations at the Fishing Harbour, has stated that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the deaths of the two fishermen.

When word spread, the people of Tema Newtown flocked to the crime scene to see the bodies for themselves.

Residents were captured on camera watching in dismay as the bodies were removed and transported to the mortuary.