Fetish priest in court for murdering lover

Nana Kwabena Arhin, a 35-year old fetish priest, on Thursday appeared before the Kade District Magistrate’s Court, charged with murdering his 19 year old girl friend.

Arhin’s plea was not taken and he was remanded in prison custody to re-appear on May 3.

Police Inspector B. T. Nartey, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Abdul Majid Illiasu that Arhin, who is also a herbalist, befriended the deceased Mawusi Akakpo, about a year ago.

He said at about 1700 hours on April 8, Mawusi informed her grandmother that she was visiting Arhin in his house but she did not return.

The prosecutor said, the following day, Arhin sent somebody to invite the deceased grandmother to his house for a discussion.

He said when the grandmother responded to the invitation; Arhin told her that Mawusi on the previous day at about 1830 hours visited him to apologise to him without giving any reason and left for home.

Arhin asked the grandmother of his girlfriend to accompany him to look for Mawusi so that she would explain why she apologised to him.

The grandmother told Arhin that, Mawusi did not return home so the accused asked for a one cedi note to perform some rituals to know the where about of the deceased.

He said on April 13, the grandmother and a witness went to Arhin’s shrine with the cedi note for the rituals to be performed.

The prosecutor said, Arhin after consulting his gods told them that Mawusi had been killed, her blood drained from her body and dumped under a palm tree which was not far from his house.

He said on April 14, Arhin led members of the Asafo Company and showed them the body, which was dumped under a palm tree.

This made the grandmother to suspect Arhin of murdering Mawusi and so made a report to the police who arrested him.

When the police visited the scene and examined the body, it had decomposed and was infested with maggots.

A deep cut was also seen on the left side of the ribs.

The prosecutor said the body was lying in the morgue of the police hospital in Accra awaiting autopsy.

Counsel for the accused, Mr S. O. Mensah disputed the facts saying they were circumstantial and an autopsy had also not been performed.

He asked the prosecution to hasten their investigations for a speedy trial as the liberty of his client had been curtailed.**