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Saeed Abdul Shakur, a Principal State Attorney in the Upper West Region, has stated that talismans are not lawyers and cannot save any person standing trial in court from the hooks of the law.
He said this in relation to some pots he said were buried in his house and the house of the Presiding Judge of the Wa Circuit Court, His Honour Jonathan Avogo during the trial of a defilement case against Rashid Ahmed, alias Anaata, a popular Master of Ceremony (MC) for Islamic weddings in Wa, now a convict
“The talismans and the many pots that they buried around my house… they buried a pot in our house and buried one in the judge’s house and the eggs and all that are for comedy, they are for fun because we don’t deal with pots, eggs in court, they cannot be a defense to anybody.
Anyone who deceives you that an egg will stand in for you, you better look for something else because eggs and pots are not lawyers”, he explained.
Shakur, the lead prosecutor in the defilement case against Anaata, stated this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa on Tuesday after the Circuit Court in Wa sentenced the accused person to 76 years imprisonment.
The Principal State Attorney had earlier indicated during a cross-examination of the accused person that they had found eggs and a white cloth with his name and the name of the complainant in the case, Ilasu Baba inscribed on the white cloth and dumped at the St. Andrews’ crossroad in Wa.
He, therefore, advised the public to take a cue from the trial and subsequent jailing of the accused person, Anaata not to indulge in any act that could lead them to be in conflict with the law.
Madam Charity Batuure, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Gender, expressed gratitude to the court for serving justice to the survivors of the series of sexual abuses.
She observed that the outcome of that trial was an indication that there was an awakening call within the communities and trust in the law enforcement system.
“It is about time we allowed children to be children because defiling a child is like taking away everything from the child’s innocence and even the potential to grow in the future is being dented.
This judgment will serve as a deterrent to all others. If you think you are doing it in your corner and you are hiding beware that one day the law will catch up with you”, Madam Baturre said.
She commended all individuals and institutions that played diverse roles in securing justice for those abused minors.
She said that the case had opened a gateway for all stakeholders in society to work together to ensure that they create a safe space for children to grow and develop their potential.
“They are children, let them be children, let’s not take away their innocence, let’s not damage their destiny even before they start to look out for that destiny”, Madam Batuure emphasised.
She indicated that the survivors were currently undergoing counseling but that her department was considering possible means of rehabilitating them.
The Director said they were in talks with partners including the UNFPA, UNICEF, and the World Bank to ensure that they put in place systems and structures where survivors of such violence could go through the full process of rehabilitation.
Madam Munira Alhassan, a concerned parent, told the GNA that she was satisfied with the decision of the court because it would help save girls from sexual abuse.
