Traditional priest kills, buries Kantamato trader

A second-hand clothing trader at the Kantamato Market in Accra has been killed by a traditional priest after she went to him for a money-doubling ritual.

The traditional priest, identified as Agbeko Acumalt, allegedly buried the deceased in his shrine in an attempt to conceal the crime, The Chronicle reports.

He was, however, arrested along with a taxi driver, Bless Fiawofie Kwablatsey, and has been arraigned before an Achimota District Court on Monday, May 15, 2023.

In court, the prosecutor narrated that the nephew of the deceased, Emmanuel Ofori Boadi, is the complainant.

The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Margaret Ofori Boadi, told the court that the priest was living together with the deceased at Kasoa-Kuwait.

She narrated that in November 2022, the deceased lost her goods to a fire outbreak at Kantanmanto Market, which caused her financial losses.

However, in March 2023, she confided in the priest to perform some money-doubling rituals for her.

The traditional priest then led her to his shrine at Lente-Wuti, where they met an accomplice named Selassie, who assured her they could perform a ritual to get multiples of the amount she brought to them.

The priest, Selassie, gave the deceased a list of items to be purchased.

The deceased, who could not afford the item, requested to return to Accra.

After this development, the deceased frequently contacted the priest, and there were transfers of monies totalling GHC15,000. But the priest failed to double the money after receiving the said amount, causing the deceased to become furious and also threatening to arrest them as his brother was a soldier.

For fear of being arrested, the traditional priest and his accomplice planned to kill her to end the matter.

The report adds that on March 25, the priest invited the deceased to his shrine for the money but was also warned not to inform anyone about the plan.

"The deceased embarked on the trip from Kasoa-Kuwait to Lente-Wuti the next day, March 26, at about 3:30 a.m.

"Agbeko and Selassie executed their plan by strangling her to death when she reached the shrine to collect her money.

"It was narrated to the court that Agbeko and Salasie secretly burned the deceased inside the shrine," The Chronicle reports.

However, on April 3, 2023, the family of the deceased lodged a missing person complaint to the police for investigation.

An investigation by the police led to the arrest of the priest on April 5 but claimed he had no idea of her whereabouts.

Further investigations also led to the arrest of Bless, who also claimed he did not know the whereabouts of the deceased.

The police, upon intelligence, located the grave of the deceased in Agbeko's shrine on April 19, and upon an exhumation order from the Agbozume District Court, the action was executed on April 23, and the body of the deceased was found in a partially decomposed state.

C/Ins Boadi added that the "mortal remains of Alice were deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary for preservation and autopsy, and on April 26, a postmortem examination was conducted on the body.

"The Police Hospital Pathologist, ACP/Dr. Owusu Afriyie established the cause of death was a result of asphyxiation, strangulation and blood loss from the cubital fossa of the left arm.

"The accused persons were, therefore, charged with the stated offences and arraigned before court," the report added.

YNA/WA