There was weeping and mourning as thousands of people in the three regions were reported to have lost huge sums of money for staking single one and 90 (1-90) which were broadcast on some radio stations in the three regions last Friday.
The broadcast was after the Mmoatia Komfo (fetish priest of the dwarfs) had prophesied that the gods had revealed to him that the two numbers would surely drop in the national weekly lotto draw on Saturday, March 26, 2011.
The priest gave out the numbers while he was in the spiritual realm performing along with some 40 others in Goaso in the Brong Ahafo Region last Friday. The performance was at the instance of the Omanhene of the area, Nana Bafour Akwasi Bosompra I, as part of activities marking the funeral of the first Goasomanhene, Nana Kofi Boakye, who died 27 years ago.
At least 100 people in Goaso alone told the Daily Graphic last Sunday that they had spent huge sums of money to stake the two numbers in the hope that they would win. One of them, a young woman of about 25, said that was the first time she had staked lotto and that she was disappointed at the turn of events.
According to her, she had seen the fetish priest release the numbers and could, therefore, not resist the temptation to stake them.
Another person, a middle aged man, also maintained that he had spent his last GH¢50 on the numbers because he had seen them as a great opportunity to make some money.
Reports gathered from Goaso indicated that several people in some parts of the Western Region, especially the Sefwi area which is close to Goaso, also fell victim. A source at the Goaso Traditional Council told the Daily Graphic last Friday that the performance was the single biggest gathering of fetish priests in the history of the town.
“They came from all parts of the Brong Ahafo Region and it was a grand event which we will never forget as a people,” it said.
Even though Nana Boakye, the first Omanhene, had died many years ago, a chieftaincy dispute by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is the Overlord of the area, paved way for the funeral. The week-long activities of the funeral included a display by fetish priests, which came off with a huge attendance.
The source maintained that the decision to invite the fetish priests to perform was not to give out lotto numbers but was quick to add that no one could have questioned any of the fetish priests for turning to lotto numbers because that would have amounted to challenging the gods.
“They were invited principally to get the gods to bring long life and prosperity to the people of the area after the long delay in organising the funeral of the late Omanhene. While they were performing, one of them was said to have shouted out that “1-90” was going to drop the following day in the national draw. That made many people to believe same and soon some radio stations started broadcasting the prophecy on their networks,” it explained.
One station in Kumasi, Hello FM, which has a wide coverage interviewed some lotto writers in Goaso on Saturday and they confirmed that people were coming to them in droves to stake the numbers as a result of the prophecy.
Many people eager to stake the numbers also called to the radio stations to verify the authenticity of the reports and they appeared satisfied after they were told the reports were real.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have it that another fetish priest, Nana Datmon from Mfrekrom, a village near Kukuom in the Brong Ahafo Region, also released two numbers, “6-60”, which dropped.
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