Togolese Occultist beheads stepson for ritual purposes

Nkwanta, June 19, GNA -A Togolese occultist, Bukari Yaw, 48, alias "Worfa Yaw" has been arrested by the Nkwanta Police for beheading his stepson, Kofi Ogbanta, 10, of Ghanaian parentage. Mr Douglas Kumah, Nkwanta District Police Commander, briefing the Ghana News Agency said Bukari committed the crime seven month ago, but has been on the run until his arrest on June 17, this year, at Nkwanta upon a tip-off.

He said Bukari beheaded Ogbanta on his farm, when the deceased and his other three brothers accompanied their father to the farm. Mr Kumah said Bukari returned without Ogbanta and when persistent inquisition failed to yield the desirable answers amidst threats of death, the deceased mother, Mansah Changa, 40, reported the incident to the chiefs and elders of Pagala, a Togolese village near Nkwanta, where they were residing.

He said a community search party found the headless body of the deceased in a pool of blood in a nearby bush close to Bukari's farm. Mr Kumah said the suspect who continued to threaten to kill his wife and children, set the household on fire and fled. He said suspect denied knowledge of Changa and any wrongdoing explaining later that his stepson died of a strange disease. Mr Kumah said the deceased's mother, who was staying in Notsie in Togo, confirmed the incident and added that Bukari had consistently talked about using his children for "blood money". He said the case would be forwarded to the International Police Organization (INTERPOL) for advice.