The Bongo District Court has remanded nine individuals in police custody for their alleged involvement in accusing and attempting to lynch 61-year-old Ayidaana Abotisei in the Adaboya community. This action is contrary to Section 207 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act of Ghana (Act 29, 1960).
The accused persons include pastors and community members who allegedly accused Mrs. Abotisei of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. They subjected her to a traumatic ordeal, taking her to a fetish priest to prove her innocence on July 29, 2024.
The information reached the accused’s children, who are all working outside the district. They reported the incident to the police in Bongo, who managed to arrest about six suspects while the other six, whose names were mentioned as having taken part in the action, escaped.
After the complaint was lodged with the police by Aduko Joseph Azubire, son of the accused, some community members threatened to kill him for reporting the case. Mr. Aduko again reported them to the police, leading to the arrest of three more individuals in connection with the issue, while one is on the run.
When the accused persons appeared before the court on Friday, July 2, 2024, all denied knowledge of their involvement in the accusation and requested bail. However, the state prosecutor, Chief Inspector Victor Quarshie, argued that the police are still investigating the case to apprehend the accused persons who are on the run, hence granting them bail would not help their investigation.
The presiding judge, His Worship Mawukoenya Nutekpor, ordered the remand during a hearing on August 2, 2024, for them to reappear in court on August 15, 2024. Before delivering his ruling, His Worship sent a strong message to community members in the courtroom against witchcraft accusations and related violence, emphasizing the need for tolerance and respect for human rights.
Aduko Joseph Azubire, son of the accused Mrs. Abotisei, spoke to the media after the court hearing, saying he and his family want justice for their mother. “Right now, I want justice for my mother, for the mocking, the insults, and the trauma. When we went to the chief’s palace and rescued my mother, they insulted us to the extent that they said because my mother is a witch, she took someone’s brain for me to become successful.”
“I want the court to find justice in this case because currently, my mother is experiencing trauma in her abdomen, inflammation, and her blood pressure has risen to over 120. As I am talking, my mother has been admitted to the hospital,” he said.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|David Azure|Bongo|
