Pastor, 5 others ‘caged’ for torturing 61-year-old woman accused of witchcraft in Bongo

Six (6) persons, including a Pastor from Adaboya, a farming community in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, have been remanded into police custody by the Bongo District Court for accusing a 61-year-old woman of being a witch, torturing her, and subjecting her to a trial by ordeal.

The six are Edmund Anamboi Aduko (a Lecturer), Aduko Isaac Asaa (a teacher), and Pastor Ayaka Calvin, who are seen as the major masterminds of the act. The rest are Pastor Akayeti George, Yakubu Zachariah, and Agana Pius.

The six were remanded into police custody on counts of offensive conduct, contrary to section 207 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act of Ghana, Act 1960 (Act 29), which is without lawful authority, uttering abusive words to wit “you are a witch, you gave witchcraft to some particular children” to the annoyance of Ayidana Abotisei with intent to provoke her; and count two, trial by ordeal, which is contrary to Section 315 (A) of the Criminal Offences Act of Ghana Act 29 (1960),” according to a report by Bolgatanga-based Dreamz FM.

Details of the case

According to the Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Victor Quarshie, the accused persons, who are residents of Adaboya, a community in the Bongo District, had accused the victim, 61-year-old Ayidana Abotisei, of being a witch and allegedly “sitting” on their progress.

So on August 1, 2024, at about 10:00 am, they allegedly stormed the house of the 61-year-old lady, “took her out of the house and offensively paraded her around the Adaboya Community” accusing her of witchcraft.

Afterwards, she was taken to a soothsayer, where she was subjected to a trial by ordeal, forcing her to admit to being a witch.

But when she was taken to the Chief’s house, her son, a Physician, promptly reported the case to the Bongo police, leading to the arrest of the suspects and arraignment before the Bongo District Court, where they were denied bail and placed in police custody until August 15, 2024, when they will reappear in court.

Meanwhile, six other suspects who took part in the molestation of the alleged witch are on the run.