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| The Kpando Gadza Exhumation Case |
Police investigations, customary disagreements and a High Court suit have brought one of the Volta Region's most sensitive burial disputes into the public spotlight.
By Prosper Wise Amegbe
Akpini News & Tours
The burial of Mrs. Anna Klu Apreku, a 69-year-old woman whose final resting place has become the subject of legal and customary dispute, has developed into a landmark case involving police investigations, civil litigation and questions about customary burial rights.
Official documents obtained by Akpini News & Tours, including an Administrative Report by the Ghana Police Service and a Writ of Summons with a Statement of Claim filed at the High Court in Hohoe, provide the first detailed account of how the dispute unfolded.
This publication is the first part of a special investigative series examining the events surrounding the exhumation of Mrs. Anna Klu Apreku and the legal battle that has followed.
A Mother's Final Wish
According to the Statement of Claim filed before the High Court, the late Mrs. Anna Klu Apreku died in Accra on 13 August 2025, where she had been residing with her family.
Her children—Millicent Apreku, Patience Apreku, Prince Apreku and Bless Apreku—state that before her death, their mother expressed her wish to be buried at Kpando Gadza, the hometown of her husband, where she desired that her family would one day rest together.
The plaintiffs further state that discussions were held with members of both the maternal and paternal families before funeral arrangements were finalised.
According to the Statement of Claim, Emmanuel Mawusi, who is identified as the Head of the Mawusi-Klu Family of Anfoega-Agata and the second defendant in the suit, initially objected to the proposed burial at Kpando Gadza.
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| Emmanuel Mawusi, Anfoega-Agata Asafoatse |
The plaintiffs, however, allege that after further family discussions, Emmanuel Mawusi later agreed to the burial and requested customary items, including drinks and a sheep, which the family agreed to provide after the funeral.
Based on that understanding, the plaintiffs state that they proceeded with extensive funeral preparations, including printing funeral brochures, organising transportation, preparing food, hiring a brass band and making other arrangements.
A Disagreement Before the Burial
The Statement of Claim further alleges that shortly before the funeral, another disagreement emerged.
According to the plaintiffs, Rev. Fr. Raphael Tawiah, the first defendant and a Catholic priest serving at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish at Shia in the Ho Diocese, objected to the deceased being buried at Kpando Gadza.
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| Rev. Fr. Raphael Tawiah, the first defendant. |
The plaintiffs allege that Rev. Fr. Tawiah maintained that Mrs Anna Klu Apreku should instead be buried at Anfoega-Agata, where her paternal family originates, and further claimed that he should personally preside over the burial rites.
The Statement of Claim states that several family meetings were held, but no agreement was reached to change the original burial arrangements.
The plaintiffs therefore proceeded with the funeral according to what they say were the deceased's expressed wishes.
Burial at Kpando Gadza
On 28 February 2026, funeral rites were held in Accra, after which the late Mrs Anna Klu Apreku was transported to and buried at the Kpando Gadza Public Cemetery.
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| Burial of Mrs. Anna Klu Apreku in Kpando Gadza Public Cemetery |
According to the plaintiffs, some individuals allegedly attempted to prevent the body from being transported from the church premises in Accra to Kpando Gadza. However, the burial eventually proceeded as planned.
The Discovery That Shocked the Family
Just days later, the family says it received distressing news.
According to the Administrative Report issued by the Ghana Police Service, Prince Kenneth Apreku, a Station Officer with the Ghana National Fire Service, reported to the Kpando Police on 3 March 2026 that unknown persons had exhumed the body of his late mother and removed both her remains and coffin from the cemetery without the family's knowledge.
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| Mrs. Anna Klu Apreku exhumed |
Police officers immediately visited the cemetery together with the complainant.
According to the report, investigators confirmed that the grave had been opened and that the body and coffin had been removed. Photographs of the scene were taken as evidence.
Police Investigation
The Ghana Police Service's report states that information later received by investigators led them to invite Rev. Fr. Raphael Tawiah and Emmanuel Mawusi for questioning.
According to the police report, both men subsequently led investigators to the Anfoega-Agata Public Cemetery, where officers found a freshly constructed grave bearing the name of the deceased.
The report further states that photographs of the new burial site were taken for evidential purposes.
The police report also indicates that Bright Daffor and Joseph Ngo were later arrested during the investigation.
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| Bright Daffor |
According to the report, they allegedly admitted participating in the exhumation together with other youths from the community and stated that they acted on the instructions of Emmanuel Mawusi, the family head, who later allegedly confessed the order came from Rev. Fr. Raphael Tawiah. The report also states that they informed investigators they were not paid for carrying out the exercise.
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| Emmanuel Mawusi (Family Head), second defendant |
These statements are contained in the police investigation report and have not been reproduced here as findings of a court.
The High Court Case
Following the police investigation, the children of the deceased instituted a civil action at the High Court, Hohoe, against six defendants:
- Rev. Fr. Raphael Tawiah
- Emmanuel Mawusi
- Richard Pidah
- George Agbezuge
- Bright Daffor
- Joseph Ngo
In their Statement of Claim, the plaintiffs ask the court to declare the exhumation unlawful, award general, aggravated and punitive damages, order a forensic examination of the remains, direct that Mrs Anna Klu Apreku be reburied at Kpando Gadza, award GH¢10,000 in special damages and permanently restrain any future interference with her remains.
The plaintiffs further claim they have suffered severe emotional distress, psychological trauma and public embarrassment as a result of the disturbance of their mother's grave.
These claims remain before the High Court for determination.
Questions Beyond the Courtroom
Beyond the legal issues, the case has generated broader public discussion about the relationship between customary burial practices and Ghana's statutory laws, the authority of families to decide burial arrangements, and the legal procedures governing exhumation.
It has also raised broader questions about how disputes involving family customs and traditional practices should be resolved while respecting the rule of law.
A Continuing Investigation
This article is Part One of Akpini News & Tours' investigative series on the Kpando Gadza Exhumation Case.
In Part Two, we will take readers through the Ghana Police Service's investigation in greater detail, examining the investigative process, the evidence gathered, and the observations made by investigators.
Below is the police report for your perusal👇👇
Editor's Note
This report is based on the Administrative Report on Exhumation at Kpando-Gadza of Late Mrs. Anna Klu Apreku dated 5 June 2026 and the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim filed in Suit No. VR/HO/HC/E13/26/2026 before the High Court, Hohoe. References to the plaintiffs' allegations are drawn from the court pleadings, while references to the investigation are based on the police report. The civil proceedings remain pending, and the matters described in this report are subject to determination by the court. Akpini News & Tours remains committed to fair, accurate and balanced reporting by presenting the positions of all parties as this investigative series continues.
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