Chiefs and traditional office holders including elders of the Anlo Traditional Area in the Volta Region have hinted plans to hold separate funeral rites for the late Former President who doubles as the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings even without his body.

According to them, the longest-serving President who brought the democracy to Ghana was their former chief explaining that, it is mandatory for the chiefs, queens and traditional office holders to perform their final funeral rites for Mr Rawlings in accordance to the Ewe traditions customs and norms.

The Secretary to the Local Funeral Planning Committee of Anlo Traditional Area, Agbotadua Kumasah stated that the traditional area would honour the late President Rawlings who was also properly installed chief.

"Until his burial on Wednesday, January 27, we were expecting his body to be released to us so now that they are going to bury him in Accra, we as Anlos will organise our own traditional burial for him,” Agbotadua Kumasah disclosed to an Accra based Citi FM.

Since the demise of the late President Rawlings on November 12, 2020, the Anlo Traditional Area have been demanding that he is buried in the Volta Region.

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According to them, the former President has to be buried in accordance with the customs and traditions of the Anlo people.

They subsequently petitioned Torgbui Agbesi Awusu II, the Awadada of Anlo to demand that the body of the former President is brought home.

Former President Rawlings has been given a State Funeral today at the Black Star Square ahead of burial at the Military Cemetery in Accra.

This, the Secretary to the Local Funeral Planning Committee of Anlo Traditional Area pointed out that the history of the Anlo’s have had such situation before where funerals are held for the departed with their body.

“We have had some chiefs who were captured in war. We have had chiefs who drowned and the bodies were not recovered. We had chiefs who were burned to ashes and chiefs who were lost who we didn’t know whether they were alive or not.”

According to Agbotadua Kumasah, per Ewe traditions and customs there are traditional procedures for burying those people without the body.

He pointed out that the Ewes have our own way of organising funerals for such people,” Agbotadua Kumasah stated stressed.

Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater Accra Regional Chief Correspondent