By Emmanuel Nduka
The Ghana Police Service has reiterated the ban on alarmist new year prophecies, saying anyone found culpable will be punished.
In Ghana, worshippers gather in Churches on New Year’s eve to hear their religious leaders make prophetic proclamations for the new year.
It would be recalled that last year, the Police banned what it described as “misleading” new year prophecies in churches, maintaining that they can cause panic and are likely to endanger lives.
One year after, the police say the ban is still in place. “A year ago today, December 27, 2021, the Ghana police service drew the attention of the general public, especially members of the religious community to the law regarding the communication of prophecies, and urged compliance to the law to ensure continuous security and law and order in the country,” the Ghana police spokesperson Grace Ansah-Akrofi said in a statement Tuesday.
“We wish to commend the public, particularly religious groups, for their cooperation over the period by being circumspect and conscious of the law and adopting legally acceptable means of communicating prophecies to those affected.
“This has contributed greatly to creating an environment where people are able to freely profess their faith without unnecessary anxiety and fear of impending harm or death.
“Ghana is indeed grateful to the religious leaders in particular and the religious community as a whole for their patriotic understanding of the situation.
“As the year 2022 draws to a close, we wish to once again entreat the general public, especially faith-based groups, to ensure continuous compliance with the law as it relates to the communication of prophecies.
“Let us continue to remember that whereas we have the right to practise our faith in religion, freedom of worship and speech, this right must not be exercised in violation of the rights of others and the public interest,” the statement added.
New Year prophecies are also dished out by clerics in Nigeria.
