The Bolgatanga Circuit Court has sentenced a Fetish Priest to four years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing a goat valued at ?100,000.
The accused, Ayandor Awineh, 27, from Amangaa near Bongo in the Upper East Region stole the goat on New Year's Day.
Awineh threw the Court into laughter when he said that he did not steal the goat personally but it was his "juju" by name "Maame Water", which called the goat into his courtyard. He claimed he brought the juju from Sunyani to the village. According to Awineh, the "juju" took only the bones whiles he consumed the meat.
The Circuit Court Judge, Justice Albert Kuoro, ordered the accused to bring his "Maame Water" to the court, which he obliged.
Prosecuting, Inspector Gregory Achayire, told the court that the complainant, Atenga Anaafo, a farmer, and the accused lived at Amanga, Bongo. He said the accused visited the complainant's home on December 31, at about 7:30 pm and the moment he left, Atenga Anaafo detected that his goat, which had then delivered twin kids, was missing.
Inspector Gregory said that the complainant made enquires and learnt that it was the accused who stole the mammy goat.
Armed with this information, Atenga, accompanied by some people in the neighbourhood, went to the accused's house on New Year's Day and found the goat tied in his courtyard.
When the accused was challenged by the complainant, he claimed that the goat was his.
According to the prosecutor, Awineh later admitted having stolen the goat. He then chased the complainant and the witnesses out of his yard with a cutlass.
The matter was reported to the Assembly member of Amanga-Bongo who organized some strongmen and went to the fetish priest's house only to realize that he had slaughtered the goat.
When they asked the accused to produce the meat, he only showed them intestines and some bones meant for the "Maame Water" juju.
To stop the "juju" from taking bones further, it was burnt at the Court premises as instructed by Justice Kuoro.
