Police arrest 30 youth for killing a ‘witch’

Thirty persons have been arrested by the Buipe Police Command for attacking the police and inflicting cutlass wounds on 75 years old woman accused of witchcraft.

They were arrested at the palace of the Paramount Chief of Kusawgu Traditional Area on Friday.

The victim, Bintu Mumenatu is a native of Sankpala in the Central Gonja district of the Northern Region.

According to the Deputy Police Commander at Buipe, ASP Kwame Boadi, seven of the suspects on March 31 at about 9:30pm allegedly attacked the victim and subjected her to severe beatings while she was alone in her house.

One of them was said to have pulled cutlass and cut her till she was almost lifeless, and abandoned her.

The youth claimed they meted out the heinous act against Bintu because they suspected she was a witch. They claimed she used her sorcery to cast a spell on the entire youth in the village which has rendered scores of the youth worthless.

Kusawgu-Wura on Friday April 1, 2016 summoned the seven at his palace after her children made a complaint to him, and he handed them over to a team of police officers led by ASP Kwame Boadi.

The police in addition arrested 23 others who attempted to prevent the arrest of the seven guys.

ASP Kwame Boadi told TV3 Northern regional correspondent Zubaida Ismail that the police were attacked by the 23 youth who vandalized a police vehicle and tore the uniforms of some police officers.

All the 30 youth are currently in the custody of the Buipe Police and will be arraigned for attempted murder and obstructing justice.