Fetish priest detains 2 kids over witchcraft

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that Yaw Kumi, 13, and Abena, a 17-year-old Junior High School graduate, have been detained by a fetish priest in his shrine at Nankese in the Suhum municipality of the Eastern Region since last Monday.

The fetish priest, Togbe Dzebu, claims the minors possess evil spirits; hence his decision to camp them and perform rituals to exorcise the spirits.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the girl had been accused of stealing, for which reason she was sent to the fetish priest so that the latter would cast out the demon causing her to steal. During incantation the fetish priest reportedly saw that the girl was possessed by an evil spirit which she had been using to destroy the lives of people in the community. The boy was also accused of doing same with the evil spirit in him.

Due to this, the children, as part of the rituals, were forced by the fetish priest to march through the town and nearby towns to show where their spiritual pots, locally known as “bayie kukuo”, had been hidden.

The victims were given strange haircuts, concoctions and subjected to various forms of abuse whilst in detention at the shrine.

The male victim, a 13-year-old pupil of Nankese M/A Primary School, has been prevented from writing the end of term examination by the fetish priest.

Yaw, in an interview, said he wanted to return to the classroom to continue his education but that he was waiting for the fetish priest to cast out the evil spirit in him.

Even though the victims initially denied possessing witchcraft, they later confessed to same, an admission many residents believe they made under duress.

The fetish priest claimed he had been able to cast out the witchcraft in the 17-year-old girl and that he was waiting for the family to buy some items for the final rituals. He, however, said the 13-year-old pupil may spend more time at the shrine to enable him exorcise him properly before he can be allowed to go to school.

Meanwhile, school authorities are worried over the development but say they are helpless to seek for the release of the pupil to write his exams. They therefore appealed to human rights groups to come to the rescue of the children.

The parents, as gathered, went to the fetish priest to take the children but were prevented by the priest.