A heartbreaking incident unfolded in Akyem Anamase near Oda in the Eastern Region last Friday when a groom, Chief Inspector Godwin Beniba, tragically passed away during his wedding ceremony.  

Chief Inspector Beniba, who was the Station Officer at the Anamase Police Station, collapsed moments after arriving at the Anamase Hotel, the venue for the event.

The groom, accompanied by his best men, had been waiting for the arrival of his bride, Florence Debrah, who was in one of the rooms at the event centre.  

According to eyewitnesses, the groom complained of dizziness upon entering the venue. Before anyone could respond, he collapsed on the floor.

He was rushed to the Anamase Clinic by some of the invited guests, but medical personnel at the facility pronounced him dead on arrival.  

The tragic news devastated the hundreds of attendees, including police personnel who had traveled from Accra, Koforidua, Oda, Akyem Achiase, Akyem Swedru, and other parts of the country to witness the union. Many were overcome with grief and could not hold back their tears.  

Large quantities of food and drinks prepared for the occasion went unused as shocked invitees left the venue in sorrow.  

The family of the deceased, who had traveled from his home region in the Northern Region, arranged for the body to be transported to the Oda Government Hospital morgue for autopsy and preservation.  

When GraphicOnline's Samuel Kyei-Boateng visited Akyem Anamase on Saturday, the community was enveloped in sadness, with residents mourning the tragic loss and unable to engage in the usual festive activities of the Christmas season.