Soothsayer involved in lynching of 90-year-old woman arrested

One of the ladies captured in the viral video assaulting a 90-year-old woman in northern Ghana has been arrested.

Latifa Bumaye, 33, was reportedly arrested at Kejewu Botor, a farming community in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region.

Though the Police in that region are yet to provide full details of the latest arrest, it is reported that the lady is believed to be one of the soothsayers who accused the old woman of being a witch.

Her arrest on Thursday follows a tipoff after she was spotted in the Kejewu Botor community.

She has since been detained and assisting with investigations.

Five others remanded

Meanwhile, a court in Bole has also remanded five other suspects in connection with the case.

They have been charged with conspiracy to committing murder, according to police in the Savannah Region. They made their first appearance in court on Thursday, July 30, 2020.

The Savannah Regional Police Commander, DCOP Enoch Adutwum Bediako, said that the police is going ahead with its investigation to get to the end of the issue.

“Yesterday [Wednesday], around 10 am, five of the leaders who invited the priestess to Kafaba reported themselves to the Regional Police Command at Damongo here. We arrested them and during interrogation, they all admitted having invited the priestess to the community.

“…This morning we took the five to court and they have been remanded in police custody to reappear on 20th August 2020…They have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, to wit murder,” he told the CNR.

The suspects, all male, are said to have invited and hosted the priestess who declared the deceased a witch and instigated her lynching.

DCOP Bediako said the police are currently on the manhunt for the priestess and another woman who was seen in the viral video lynching the 90-year-old woman.

“Those two women are now at large and we are seriously looking for them… And we plead with the public to help us get them.”

The police have put up a bounty of ¢2,000 for information leading to the arrest of the two.

Kafaba chief granted bail

Meanwhile, the Kafaba chief, Zackaria Yahaya who was earlier arrested has been granted bail.

According to the police, the five other suspects in their statements indicated that the chief did not play any role in the development as he even asked them to send the priestess away when they went to introduce her to him before the lynching incident.

“The youth did not agree with the chief and went on to do what they did and this unfortunate thing happened… All the five said the chief didn’t agree with what they were doing and therefore he was not part of what they were doing. Based on that, we have to grant the chief bail pending further investigations…He spent the night there because we got the suspects the following day,” he said.

Outrage

The lynching of the woman which was captured on video has triggered a conversation about the treatment of old women alleged to be witches, especially in deprived communities in the country.

President Akufo-Addo at an event expressed his satisfaction with the arrest of five persons believed to have taken part in the lynching of Akua Denteh, the 90-year-old woman who was accused of witchcraft in Kafaba in the Savannah Region.

He is hopeful the prosecution of the five will serve as a deterrent to others.

The President was speaking at Damongo as part of his tour of the Savannah Region.

“I am happy that the Regional Minister says five people have been arrested and will be arraigned. I beg you. We do not want to hear of such an incident again,” he said.