Blows At Pastor�s Burial �Over Poor Quality Coffin

Fighting broke at the Christian Praise International Church (CPIC) at Sunyani, on Saturday, over the coffin meant to be used to bury their Area Head pastor, Apostle Ephraim Brenya-Baah.

Apostle Branya-Baah, 40, died last month at home shortly after complaining of chest pains.

A solemn burial service was held at the Sunyani Jubilee Park, and just before the body could be conveyed from an ambulance to be placed in the coffin, trouble ensued.

The late pastor’s father, identified only as Mr. Branya, and some others, rushed forward to destroy the coffin, claiming it was too inferior to be used to bury a head pastor.

They hit the coffin on the ground, breaking it into pieces.

Fighting broke out as other members of the church attempted stopping them.

The fighting was so intense that the police at the scene could not contain the situation, and a re-enforcement had to be called in before order was restored.

In the end, a member of the church, Mr. Willie Wise, rushed to purchase a new coffin costing GH7,000 before burial the ceremony could continue.

The Ghanaian Times also gather that, the members also prevented the general overseer of the church, Dr. Jackson Owusu, from attending the burial service as they threatened to attack him if he did so.

Elizabeth Hanson, a member, told The Ghanaian Times that the use of the inferior coffin was an attempt to disgrace the late pastor because he had not been on good terms with the General Overseer.

When the Times approached a member of the funeral committee for a word on the matter, he declined to comment except to say that as a church, he did not think they should go public on the issue.

A police source told The Ghanaian Times that some officers who were on duty at the NPP extraordinary conference, had to rush in to save the situation from degenerating.