A fetish priest who attempted to stop a demolition exercise in Nima, a suburb of Accra, but was arrested by the police has claimed that he had the power to vanish at the time of his arrest.

However, he said he chose not to do so because the police approached him in a friendly manner and he did not expect to be arrested.

The priest, known as Nii Odiasempa, explained in an interview on Kofi TV that he had a strong ancestral connection to the land in Nima and felt angry when he heard that some structures were being demolished by the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly.

He said he consulted the ancestors and they showed him how to deal with the situation using spiritual practices.

"I took a bottle of schnapps and leaves. When I got there, I called them – I wasn’t going to fight them because if it was about a fight, something bad may have happened because our ancestors have shown us that if there are many stones and you pour wine or water on it, it will burst into flames," he said.

He added that he wanted to teach the demolition team a lesson but he forgave them because of God. He also revealed that he had the ability to disappear if he wanted to.

"When they called me, I could have vanished, yes, I could have vanished, if I had poured water on the ground, a lot of things would have happened," he said. "I thought they were giving me respect that I should sit down (in their car) for a discussion but unfortunately when I sat down, they sped off."

The incident happened on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. The demolition exercise was met with resistance from some residents who protested and even summoned the fetish priest to intervene. The assembly said the exercise was to make way for developmental works in the area.