Robbers Raid Fetish Shrine

A gang of robbers raided a fetish shrine at Ziope, near Ho in the Volta Region and took away the gods and other items. One of them, Musah Ibrahim, a Nigerian who was later arrested explained that they raided the shrine because they wanted to sell the gods, mostly carvings, as artefacts to dealers in and outside Ghana.

“We would have made a fortune,” he said. He explained the motive for the raid before a HO circuit Tribunal where he had been charged with stealing. The tribunal was told that on March 29, Ibrahim, who was resident at Akatsi, travelled to nearby Ziope to visit an accomplice, Tahiru.

On the following day, Ibrahim, Tahiru and three others now at large raided the shrine and packed the idols into polythene sacks. They also took assorted soaps, boxes of matches, cigarettes, a piece of calico, assorted pomade and powders used by the Fetish Priestess, Wovemor Kugbey for ritual purposes.

A resident who saw the door unusually ajar raised an alarm and the robbers fled. They were later traced to the house of Tahiru but the others managed to escape leaving Ibrahim who was arrested by the Police. The tribunal sentenced him to two years imprisonment in hard labour. He is also to be deported to Nigeria after serving his sentence.