A statue of Ghana’s immediate former President, Nana Akufo-Addo, unveiled at the end of last year, has been destroyed.
The statue, which was revealed by Akufo-Addo in November in the Western Region to honor his development initiatives, sparked a backlash on social media, with many mocking it as “self-glorification.”
On Monday, local media published images showing the statue in ruins, with its severed head lying on the ground.
The identity of those responsible and the motive for the destruction remain unclear, as the police have not commented.
The statue’s torso also appears to have been damaged, leaving only a broken pedestal intact.
Akufo-Addo stepped down last week after completing two terms in office. His party’s candidate in December’s presidential election was defeated by a wide margin.
The statue had previously been partially vandalized last month, with one of its legs damaged.
Some local residents had earlier been calling for the sculpture to be removed, but the local authorities had pledged at the time of the initial damage to have it repaired.
Its destruction has elicited mixed reactions, with some condemning it while others saying there could have been a better way to deal with it.
One resident told local Citi FM outlet that it was “of no benefit” to the people, “so if it’s destroyed, its normal”.
Another said this was unfortunate and there should have been a “proper, civil way to get it removed” adding that that the action would have negative consequences for supporters of the former president’s party.
Joy FM quoted another resident saying he was happy it had been destroyed.
Last year, critics raised concerns about the use of public funds for the construction of the statue, especially given the country’s economic difficulties.
Ghana has been grappling with its worst economic crisis in a generation and last year received a $3bn (£2.5bn) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The cost-of-living crisis was a central issue in last month’s election.
President John Mahama, who won the election in a landslide, had previously criticized the statue’s erection.
He argued that it should be the people, not the government, who honor the former president for his accomplishments, describing the statue as insensitive given the widespread hardships faced by the population.