It has emerged that unqualified, untrained vigilante group affiliated to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) had forcibly taken over the management of the Kintampo Waterfall venue of the recent bizarre disaster which claimed some 19 lives.
The Invisible Forces were said to have sacked professionally trained tour guides and managers of the Waterfall who had the expertise to man the area.
While the cause of Sunday’s disaster may be natural or accidental critics say the lack of professional training by the handlers of the waterfall at the time of the disaster may perhaps have contributed to the disaster.
Students, mostly from the Wenchi Methodist School were crushed to death when a tree tumbled on them after a severe rainfall Sunday afternoon.
The students had gone on an excursion to the Waterfall and were having fun only for the disaster to befall them.
Apart from the 19 bodies retrieved, 11 other students sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving treatment.
It has been a horrifying national disaster with many left to wonder how the disaster came about.
The Minister of Tourism Catherine Afeku and the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia have both left Accra to Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region to commiserate with the families of the deceased persons.
But information suggesting that the Invisible Forces, a militant group affiliated to the NPP were the ones manning the waterfall has angered some Ghanaians, some of whom are criticizing the conduct of the militia group.
Shortly after the NPP won the December 2016 election, the group became notorious for seizing everything they could lay hands, including public toilets claiming their action is a retaliatory attack after elements within the NDC took over major installations after the NDC won the election in 2008.
A member of the group in the Region, Abdul Razak, confirmed the takeover of the waterfall in an interview with Joy News.
According to him, about 30 members of the group are managing the waterfall since the takeover in December.
They collect 5 cedis per Ghanaian and 10:00 cedis per foreigner. Students are charged 2:00 cedis or 1:00 cedis for children. Abdul Razak said the proceeds per day is handed over to the Constituency Chairman of the party who then puts it into an account created for that purpose.
Member of Parliament for Kintampo North Mr Bonde Kwasi has called for an investigation into the disaster.
He does not understand how the Invisible Forces who have no training will take over the management of the Waterfall from trained tour guys hired by the Assembly.
Even though he is yet to go to the Constituency, more than 24 hours after the disaster, the MP said he will support a thorough inquiry into the matter.
He will not accept that the disaster was caused by nature adding that somebody should have called the students to safety when the rainstorm started.
He is itching to make a statement on the floor of Parliament about the matter before going to the constituency to see the bereaved families.
