Last Wednesday, three Indian Catholic priests from Kpassa, Nkwanta-North District in the Oti Region, were brutally attacked by a mob at a Nkwanta gas station.
The priests, identified as Father Robinson Melkis, Father Frank Henry Jacob, and Father Martin George, are all members of the Capuchin Friars, a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church.
The priests, who began serving as missionaries in Ghana in 2005, suffered serious injuries. Father Frank Henry Jacob has been taken to Yendi Hospital for additional medical care due to the severity of his injuries, which have resulted in hearing loss in one ear. On social media, a video that shows parts of the incident has gone viral.
The same mob also attacked two Nkwanta-South Municipal Assembly representatives who were with the priests: Samuel Worlanyo Asugbey, the Municipal Engineer, and Samuel Worlanyo Asugbey, the Municipal Town and Country Planning Officer.
The priests and local officials had gone to the Nkwanta-South Municipal Assembly to hire a bulldozer for a project, according to Monsignor Joseph Kofi Nsiah, Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Jasikan. At Chaiso, in the Nkwanta-South Municipality, they were building a Formation House for seminarians. They were escorted to the Chaiso location by the two municipal officials after paying GH¢9,700 for the usage of the bulldozer.
Eyewitness Account
Monsignor Nsiah’s account details that while at a filling station to refuel the bulldozer, the mob attacked the group, falsely accusing them of attempting to steal the equipment. He reports that the assault lasted for approximately 30 minutes before officers from the Ghana Immigration Service intervened and rescued the victims. Following the rescue, the mob filed a report with the police alleging that the priests were stealing municipal road equipment.
As a result of this police report, the Catholic priests and municipal officials were remanded into police custody, and the bulldozer was impounded. However, after intervention from the Vicar-General, they were granted bail and released pending further investigation.
Moreover, the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) branch in the Nkwanta-South Constituency issued a statement offering an unqualified apology to the three Indian Catholic priests and the Jasikan Diocese. The statement, released in Nkwanta and signed by the NDC Constituency Secretary, Prince Succeed Fiagadzi, expressed deep dismay and sadness regarding the assault, which occurred around 9 am last Wednesday. The NDC described the actions of the mob as unacceptable and apologized for the harm, trauma, and distress caused to the victims, emphasizing the priests’ selfless dedication to service and preaching the message of love and compassion.
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