Life in Sunyani, one of the cleanest, safest and most peaceful regional capitals in the country, is gradually being overwhelmed by lunatics. The people of Sunyani have begun expressing fears and concerns over the increasing number of these mentally ill people into the regional capital in various characters. Some of these people though appear very calm on the streets, however create inconveniences and sometimes litter the streets, after able men and women of Zoomlion have finished tidying up the streets in the morning. Others are very rowdy, terrorizing pedestrians, particularly women and other road users, as well as street hawkers. Some of the male lunatics are found of tapping women’s buttocks, thereby creating discomfort for many women. There are scavengers among these lunatics, who go round picking anything they set their eyes on, and dump it sometimes in the middle of the street, and in front of people’s shops and offices, while others too steal from petty traders on the streets. Among these troublesome mentally ill people, is one who sometimes serves as a self-imposed traffic warden, with a cane in hand, and sometimes strikes at vehicles with it. This same person is a preacher as well, and stands in the scorching sun for hours shouting at the top of his voice, disturbing the public peace. There is a particular woman, who is always found round the Christ the King Catholic Church, sweeping the church premises, and carrying refuse to a designated dumping site, but her major nuisance to the public is she sometimes sleeps on the streets very close to the path of passing vehicles. Notwithstanding these attitudes by the numerous mentally ills persons found within Sunyani, there has been a public outcry after the recent murder of a six year old boy by the uncle at Abesim near Sunyani, as neighbours claim that the culprit is not mentally sound. The recent Abesim murder has put fears in the people of Sunyani, where lunatics are found all over the streets, and the question asked by the public is for how long are they going to live with these sick men and women. The public is calling on the Municipal Assembly and the Department of Social Welfare to, as a matter of urgency, do something about the increasing number of mentally ill taking over the streets of Sunyani, to help maintain the safety and cleanliness of the town. Source: The Chronicle