Sakawa man gone mad at Takoradi

Sakawa man gone mad at Takoradi
--After packing his Benz saloon car and stripping naked publicly
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

Accra, May 20, Ghanadot - A middle age wealthy man believed to be a native of Kojokrom in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis yesterday heightened the perception of Ghanaians about ‘Sakawa’ (the quick avenue recently adopted by the youth of Ghana to become wealthy overnight) when he took over the central business district of Takoradi, after he had stripped himself naked before thousands of traders and market women at the market circle. He was subsequently arrested by the market circle police to be arranged for further investigations.

The man believed to be a wealthy man living peacefully in Kojokrom was reported by onlookers to have packed his car at the market circle around ‘Stanbic bank’ and removed all his clothes, leaving only his spectacles and socks intact, and stormed the market circle nude, a bizarre act that raised the eyebrows of people of Takoradi particularly those trading at the market circle.

Although his name was not immediately known, three women who were at the market circle however confirmed to many who were present that they knew the man from Kojokrom, a farming community near Sekondi and wondered why he had to subject himself to such a public ridicule.

As they could not help the situation, the women prevailed on men who were around to find clothes for the man. .The women, who identified themselves as Mame Ajua, Esther and Madam Ekuam, all natives of kojokrom, narrated how the young man had lately been splashing the youth of Kojokrom community with his money. To them, the man was not insane, but might have used some questionable means to acquire his wealth.

“Minim nu wo Kojokrom, na oni sika, nanseyaa, na wo ye ni hun se o wo seka, nti ogyegye nini wo krom ho,” one of the women observed in Fante language.

“I know him at Kojokrom, he was poor, until recently that he has started showcasing his wealth, and splashing the youth with money that many wondered how he managed to get his wealth and had suddenly become rich overnight” Mame Ajua narrated further.

Those who were at the market circle did not know what to say than to conclude that it might have been the Sakawa syndrome among the youth of Ghana who have lately been using this ritual to get rich quick, that might have caused this man to go mad.

Sakawa is gradually gaining ground in the country and they believed that it this that has brought on his insanity.

Others also believed his situation might have come from his house and that he needed the attention of men of God to heal him. The market circle police command upon realizing the furor that the presence of the Sakawa man had generated caused his arrest.

He was subsequently sent to the Takoradi District Command for further investigations. The police confirmed they would investigate the situation of the man thoroughly before he would be transferred to a psychiatry hospital for checkup. They told the press that the alleged insane man did not utter a word when he was arrested; he did not also utter a word when they tried questioning him and refused to mention his name, where he had come from, except to smile uinreasoably.

The police gave the Mercedes Benz saloon car number of the man as ‘A S 5452 N’, but when reporters dashed down to the scene to confirm the car number, after speaking to the police, Mr. ‘Gyesee woabre’ a business man who has his shop around the center where the action took place claimed ownership of the car. And that he did not understand why the police would mistake his car with that of the Sakawa man.

Ghanadot