The murder case presented below is not the first ritual murder case in Ghana’s Volta Region reported on this site. Also, it is not the first ritual murder case in the Volta Region involving a fetish priest, see my 2019 and 2020 posts. (FVDK)
Fetish priest, 2 others nabbed over murder in Akatsi South
Published: February 13, 2024 By: Ghanaian Times
The Akatsi Police in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region, has arrested three suspects for allegedly killing a 31-year-old man at Wlitey-Agamakope.
The deceased, Christopher Alavi, who lived at Ziope, until the incident, went missing after he left home to attend a family meeting at Lume Ahugakope on September 7, 2023.
Mr Agbenyega Klaye, the regent of Wlitey-Gamakope, a suburb of Akatsi, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that Simon Dorve, 41, a fetish priest and resident of the area, is the prime suspect.
He expressed surprise about the alleged act, in which the suspect himself had confessed murdering the deceased, and his head and both legs removed for rituals.
A police source has confirmed the arrest of Mr Dorve and other two accomplices to the GNA.
The source revealed that a complaint was made to the Akatsi police about the missing of the deceased, leading to the arrest of Godfred, a student, and Ahomey Gbeti, also a fetish priest, for having in their possession, belongings of the deceased.
The police said after interrogation, Ahomey Gbeti confessed to having committed the crime with the main suspect, with whom the deceased’s motorbike and body was found and some body parts buried.
Mr Dorve was arrested last Saturday dawn, at Wlitey-Gamakope to assist in investigations.
It was disclosed to the GNA that the police was expected to exhume the parts of body.
The suspects, who were arraigned at the Akatsi Magistrate Court on Monday, have been remanded in police custody and will reappear on March 13.
Fetish priest, two others arrested over murder at Akatsi South
Published: February 13, 2024 By: GNA – Myjoyonline
The Akatsi Police in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region, has arrested three suspects for allegedly killing a 31-year-old man at Wlitey-Agamakope
The deceased, Christopher Alavi, who lived at Ziope, until the revelation, went missing after he left home to attend a family meeting at Lume Ahugakope on September 7, 2023.
Mr Agbenyega Klaye, the regent of Wlitey-Gamakope, a suburb of Akatsi, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that Simon Dorve, the prime suspect, aged 41, is a fetish priest and resident in the area.
He expressed surprise about the alleged act, in which the suspect himself had since confessed to having murdered the deceased, with his head and both legs removed for some ritual purposes.
A Police source has confirmed the arrest of Mr Dorve and his other two accomplices to the GNA.
The source revealed that a complaint was made to the Akatsi Police about the missing of the deceased.
The source revealed that upon further investigations, two suspects, namely Godfred, a student, and Ahomey Gbeti, also a fetish priest, were arrested for having in their possession, some belongings of the deceased.
“After interrogation, Ahomey Gbeti confessed to having committed the crime with the main suspect, whose custody the deceased’s motorbike and body was found, with some body parts buried,” the source said.
Mr Dorve was subsequently arrested on Saturday dawn, February 10, at Wlitey-Gamakope to assist in investigations.
It was disclosed to the GNA that the Police would proceed to the community on Monday, February 12, where the crime was committed to exhume the remaining body for further action.
The suspects, who were arraigned at the Akatsi Magistrate Court on Monday, have been remanded into Police custody and will reappear on March 13.
The crime, brings to two, similar incidents within a space of a week in the Municipality.
Earlier another fetish priest at Dzuefe was alleged to have killed his son.
Apparently this is exactly what happened in the Assin South District of the Central Region when a mob attacked three men who were suspected of involvement in the beheading of young children. It was later discovered that they were innocent but then the beating was over and the fishermen had to be hospitalized where they are being treated – reportedly they are badly wounded.
Mob justice or jungle justice is always wrong. Let the police and the authorities do their work. The rule of law must always prevail. (webmaster FVDK)
Three fishermen mistaken as suspects in ritual killing case; assaulted by mob
The article presented below is a case of a suspected ritual murder attempt. A word of caution is warranted here: not all details are known yet and the motives and intentions of the suspect, who has been arrested, are also unknown.
It is always important to be vigilant and not to jump to conclusions. The suspicion and related accusations are too serious to accept them without any concrete proof supporting the allegations.
Be that as it may it do not wish to withhold you the report. After all, ritualistic killings do happen in the Central Region of this – otherwise peaceful – West African country. (webmaster FVDK)
Man, 27, arrested for allegedly attempting to kill 11-year-old girl for rituals
Published: January 30, 2024 By: Adom Online, Ghana
A 27-year-old man identified as Clifford has been arrested for allegedly attempting to kill an 11-year-old girl for rituals at Senya Beraku in the Central Region.
The young girl, who had been playing with friends around 10:pm, failed to return home, prompting residents to launch a search.
Concerned about her well-being, the case was subsequently reported to the police.
During the search, a resident saw Clifford with the 11-year-old girl in a bush near the beach.
According to the eyewitness, the suspect had a knife pressed against the girl’s neck.
In an attempt to rescue the victim, he said Clifford attached him with the knife. He raised alarm and two other people rush to the scene to apprehend the suspect.
He was handed over to the police and processed to the Awutu Bereku District court.
Investigations are underway to identify possible accomplices.
Meanwhile, the suspect has been remanded and will reappear in court on February 8.
A gruesome murder for ritualistic purposes took place in Ghana’s Central Region on January 22.
A 3-week-old baby was the innocent victim of superstition, greed and a criminal mind. The baby’s father and two accomplices have been arrested in connection with the alleged ritual murder case, a swift action for which the Ghanaian police is to be commended.
One of the three accused persons is the 21-year-old father of the baby victim. How on earth is it possible that the belief in witchcraft or the power which ritualistic murder is supposed to create can make a person the murderer of his or her own child? How can you believe that sacrificing a newborn baby for ‘money ritual’ can create ‘juju’ ultimately resulting in (more) wealth, power or another desired goal for the perpetrator(s)?
More research is needed to reveal the reasons behind ritualistic murders and related criminal acts. The belief in the power of ritualistic murders is widespread in Ghana, but not exclusively in this West African country, as the evidence presented on this site clearly demonstrates.
Warning: one or more of the following articles contain(s) graphic details which may upset readers. (webmaster FVDK)
Man arrested for killing his 3-week-old baby for rituals
Published: January 23, 2024 By: Kofi Adjei – Myjoyonline, Ghana
A 21-year-old father only identified as Bright is in the grips of the Awutu Bereku District Police Command over the murder of his three-week old baby.
Bright according to reports has killed the baby for suspected money rituals at Fetteh Kakraba in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Monday night when he came to visit the baby and mother.
In an interview with Adom News, Bright’s friend narrated that the child’s mother left the sleeping baby inside to run an errand.
Bright then asked his friend to go and bring the baby from the room which he did, allegedly without knowing he had ulterior motives.
“I met Bright on the school park with the baby and a few minutes later, the mother called that he was missing,” he narrated.
A resident disclosed a search party was launched for the baby immediately after the news about the baby’s disappearance broke out.
Bright’s friend was apprehended after the group had a tip-off that he was the one who took the baby out of the room.
The accomplice led the search party to the school park but Bright had already killed the baby when they got there.
Bright and his friend have been arrested and are assisting with investigations.
A man has been arrested for the murder of a three-week-old baby at Fetteh Kakraba in the Gomoa East District
The suspect is the baby’s father, who is believed to have killed his son for rituals on January 22
The suspect’s friend was apprehended, and he revealed the role he had played in the baby’s disappearance.
The Awutu Bereku District Police Command has arrested a 21-year-old father over the murder of his three-week-old baby.
The suspect, identified only as Bright, is believed to have killed his son for rituals on January 22.
The killing took place at Fetteh Kakraba in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region.
Bright’s friend told Adom news that the child’s mother left the baby to run an errand.
Bright then asked his friend to go and bring the baby from the room without revealing his alleged motives.
The community was alerted, and a search party tried to find the missing baby.
Bright’s friend was apprehended, and he revealed the role he had played in the baby’s disappearance.
By the time they had found Bright, he had allegedly already killed the baby. Bright and his friend have been arrested and are assisting with investigations.
A father who allegedly murdered his 3-months-old baby, his lover and a 17-year-old friend have been remanded by the Awutu Bereku District Court in the Central region.
The suspect, Bright Larvie, was arrested for allegedly beheading his own child for money rituals.
Investigations led to the arrest of his lover, Linda Asare and their 17-year-old acquaintance, Kingsley Yeboah.
The Awutu Bereku District Police Command arranged the suspects before court presided over by Justice Naomi Kuntor.
The court, considering the gravity of the charges and the ongoing investigation, decided to remand the suspects into police custody.
The 17-year-old was sent to a special facility due to his age.
They are set to reappear before the court on February 5, 2024.
Residents in Fetteh Kakraba are still grappling with the shock and horror of such a tragic event.
The article presented below, written by the famous Nigerian human rights activist and humanist Dr. Leo Igwe, is a must-read. His manifesto is highly recommended to all readers. It is more than a reflection, it is more than a plea, it is more than a cry – for change or for understanding. As Dr. Igwe writes: “Africans must begin to think freely in order to ‘emancipate themselves from mental slavery’ and generate ideas that can ignite the flame of an African enlightenment.” And Dr. Igwe is not alone, he is not the only one who firmly believes this approach is the only way for Africa and Africans to move forward – as can be concluded from the list of African endorsers and other endorsers from around the world, presented at the end of his article.
Enough words written to recommend a piece that you shouldn’t miss! Enjoy the reading, and … spread the word!
PS Unfortunately, a few links in the original article are broken and/or not working properly (webmaster FVDK).
A Manifesto for a Skeptical Africa
What are the prospects for a more secular Africa, more skeptical Africa, more scientific Africa, i.e., a more humanistic Africa?
For too long, African societies have been identified as superstitious, consisting of people who cannot question, reason or think critically. Dogma and blind faith in superstition, divinity and tradition are said to be the mainstay of popular thought and culture. African science is often equated with witchcraft and the occult; African philosophy with magical thinking, myth-making and mysticism, African religion with stone-age spiritual abracadabra, African medicine with folk therapies often involving pseudoscientific concoctions inspired by magical thinking. Science, critical thinking and technological intelligence are portrayed as Western — as opposed to universal — values, and as alien to Africa and to the African mindset. An African who thinks critically or seeks evidence and demands proofs for extraordinary claims is accused of taking a “white” or Western approach. An African questioning local superstitions and traditions is portrayed as having abandoned or betrayed the essence of African identity. Skepticism and rationalism are regarded as Western, un-African, philosophies. Although there is a risk of overgeneralizing, there are clear indicators that the continent is still socially, politically and culturally trapped by undue credulity.
Many irrational beliefs exist and hold sway across the region. These are beliefs informed by fear and ignorance, misrepresentations of nature and how nature works. These misconceptions are often instrumental in causing many absurd incidents, harmful traditional practices and atrocious acts. For instance, not too long ago, the police in Nigeria arrested a ‘robber’ goat which they said was a thief who suddenly turned to a goat. A Nigerian woman was reported to have given birth to a horse. In Zambia, a local school closed temporarily due to fears of witchcraft. In Uganda, there are claims of demonic attacks in schools across the country. Persecution and murder of alleged witches continue in many parts of the continent. Many Africans still believe that their suffering and misfortune are caused by witchcraft and magic. In Malawi, belief in witchcraft is widespread. Ritual killing and sacrifice of albinos and other persons with disabilities take place in many communities, and are motivated by paranormal belief. Across Africa people still believe in the potency and efficacy of juju and magic charms. Faith-based abuses are perpetrated with impunity. Jihadists, witch-hunters and other militants are killing, maiming and destroying lives and property. Other-worldly visions and dogmatic attitudes about the supernatural continue to corrupt and hamper attempts by Africans to improve their lives. Even with the continent’s ubiquitous religiosity, many African states are to be found at the bottom of the Human Development Index and on the top of the poverty, mortality and morbidity indices.
Recently Africa was polled as the most devout region in the world, and this includes deep devotion to the continent’s various harmful superstitions. Devoutness and underdevelopment, poverty, misery and superstition co-exist and co-relate. It should be said that the dominant religious faiths in the region are faiths alien to the continent. That means African Christians are more devout than Europeans whose missionaries brought Christianity to Africa. African Muslims are more devout than Muslims in the Middle East, whose jihadists and clerics introduced Islam to the region.
Meanwhile, whatever good these foreign belief systems may have brought to or done in Africa can only be unfavorably compared to the damage and darkness they have caused and are still causing in the region. Some paranormal or supernatural claims of the two main religions of Christianity and Islam are part of the factors holding Africans hostage. Most Africans cannot think freely or express their doubts openly because these religions have placed a huge price on freethinking and critical inquiry. Because these belief systems rely on paranormal claims themselves, Africans feel they cannot speak out against superstition as a whole, or they will be ostracized or even killed by religious zealots. Belief in demonic possession, faith healing, and the “restorative” power of holy water can have deadly consequences for believers and whole communities. Africans must reject superstitious indoctrination and dogmatization in public institutions. Africans need to adopt this cultural motto: Dare to think. Dare to doubt. Dare to question everything in spite of what the superstitious around you teach and preach.
Africans must begin to think freely in order to ‘emancipate themselves from mental slavery’ and generate ideas that can ignite the flame of an African enlightenment.
The two dominant religions have fantastic rewards for those who cannot think, the intellectually conforming, unquestioning and obedient, even those who kill or are killed furthering their dogmas. They need to be told that the skeptical goods — the liberating promises of skeptical rationality — are by far more befitting and more beneficent to Africans than imaginary rewards either in the here and now or in the hereafter. Today the African continent has become the new battleground for the forces of a dark age. And we have to dislodge and defeat these forces if Africa is to emerge, grow, develop and flourish. To some people, the African predicament appears hopeless. The continent seems to be condemned, doomed and damned. Africa appears to be in a fix, showing no signs of change, transformation and progress. An African enlightenment sounds like a pipe dream.
But I do not think this is the case — an African Age of Reason can be on the horizon! The fact is that there are many Africans who reason well and think critically. There are Africans who are skeptics and rationalists1. But active African skeptics are too few and far apart to form the critical mass the continent needs to experience a Skeptical Spring. Nonetheless, the momentum is building slowly and steadily. And one can say that an African skeptical awakening is in sight. As it is said: the darkest part of the night precedes the dawn. So there is no need to despair for humanity in Africa. There is every reason to be optimistic and hopeful. After all, Europe went through a very dark period in its history, in fact, a darker and more horrible phase than that which Africa is currently undergoing. Still the European continent survived to experience Enlightenment and modern civilization. Who ever thought that the Arab Spring would happen in our lifetime? So, African enlightenment can happen sooner than we expected. But it will not happen as a miracle. African enlightenment will not fall like manna from heaven. It requires — and will continue to require — hard work, efforts, sacrifice, courage and struggle by Africans and other friends who are committed to the values of enlightenment. In Europe, skeptics spoke out against harmful superstition, and unfounded dogma and caused the dawn of a new awakening. African skeptics need to speak out against the forces of dogma, irrationalism and superstition ravaging the continent. Skeptics need to organize and mobilize — online and offline — to further the cause of reason, science and critical thinking. They need to speak out in the media and to politicians about the harm resulting from undue credulity and challenge and confront the charlatans directly to put up or shut up. Skeptics can no longer afford to keep quiet or remain indifferent in the face of a looming dark age. They need to campaign for a reform of the educational system and encourage the teaching of critical thinking in schools.
Many charlatans operate out there in their communities. They ‘mine’ popular fears and anxieties, exploiting desperate, misinformed folks. We need to expose them and free our people from their bondage. African skeptics cannot remain passive and inactive and expect skeptical rationality to thrive and flourish or expect the forces of dogma and superstition to simply disappear. The situation requires active engagement by committed skeptics. That was how the much-talked-about skeptical tradition in the Western world was established and is sustained.
That is how we are going to build and leave a skeptical legacy for Africa.
This is a call to duty to all African skeptics in Africa and in the diaspora. History has thrust on us this critical responsibility which we must fulfill. Let us therefore marshal our will to doubt, to advance skepticism in the interest of Africa. Let us marshall other intellectual resources and cause this new dawn — this skeptical awakening to happen early in this 21st century.
African skeptics arise.
1 Skeptical and rationalist groups are gaining ground in Africa. Here are a few worth supporting:
African Endorsers George Thindwa, Executive Director, Association for Secular Humanism, Malawi Mandla Ntshakala, Activist, Swaziland Jacques Rousseau, Lecturer, University of Cape Town, South Africa Ebou Sohna, Gambia Secular Assembly, Gambia Graham Knight, Humanist Association of Ghana, Accra Ghana Olajide Akeredolu MD, Lagos, Nigeria Jes Petersen, Director, Springboard Humanism, Botswana Wilfred Makayi, Humanist Activist, Zambia James Ibor, Attorney, Basic Rights Counsel, Calabar, Nigeria Robert Bwambale, Founder & Executive Director, Kasese United Humanist Association, Uganda Kato Mukasa, HALEA, Kampala, Uganda
Other Endorsers from Around The World
James Randi, Founder, James Randi Educational Foundation, USA Michael Shermer, Executive Director, Skeptics Society, USA Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, USA D.J. Grothe, President, James Randi Educational Foundation, USA Paul Kurtz, Founder, Institute for Science and Human Values, USA Toni Van Pelt, Policy Director, Institute for Science and Human Values Hemant Mehta, Blogger, Friendly Atheist Susan Sackett, Writer and Vice President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, USA Sonja Eggerickx President, International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), Belgium Josh Kutchinsky, founder and co-moderator Hummay, International Humanists Support egroup Ophelia Benson, Author and Blogger, USA Guy P. Harrison, Writer, USA Ike Francis, Human Rights Activist, USA Lorann Sims-Nsimba, Africa Awake Freethought Alliance, USA Matt Cherry, International Representative, International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) Bob Churchill – International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), UK Norm Allen, International Outreach Director, Institute for Science and Human Values, USA Dr Bill Cooke, Director of International Programs for the Center for Inquiry, USA Canberra Skeptics Inc, Australia Australian Skeptics (Victorian Branch) John Perkins, The Secular Party of Australia
Although not the main focus of this website I find it useful and necessary to draw attention to this phenomenon which is based on superstition, violates human rights and creates many innocent victims – not only elderly women and men but also children, just like ritual murders.
I wish to commend Charlotte Müller and Sertan Sanderson of DW (Deutsche Welle) – see below – for an excellent article on this topic. It’s an impressive account of what happens to people accused of witchcraft and victims sof superstition. (FVDK)
World Day Against Witch Hunts: People With Dementia Are Not Witches
Published: August 4, 2023 By: The Ghana Report
August 10 has been designated World Day against Witch Hunts. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches welcomes this development and urges countries to mark this important day, and try to highlight past and contemporary sufferings and abuses of alleged witches in different parts of the globe.
Witchcraft belief is a silent killer of persons. Witchcraft accusation is a form of death sentence in many places. People suspected of witchcraft, especially women and children, are banished, persecuted, and murdered in over 40 countries across the globe. Unfortunately, this tragic incident has not been given the attention it deserves.
Considered a thing of the past in Western countries, this vicious phenomenon has been minimized. Witch persecution is not treated with urgency. It is not considered a global priority. Meanwhile, witch hunting rages across Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
The misconceptions that characterized witch hunting in early modern Europe have not disappeared. Witchcraft imaginaries and other superstitions still grip the minds of people with force and ferocity. Reinforced by traditional, Christian, Islamic, and Hindu religious dogmas, occult fears and anxieties are widespread.
Many people make sense of death, illness, and other misfortunes using the narratives of witchcraft and malevolent magic. Witch hunters operate with impunity in many countries, including nations with criminal provisions against witchcraft accusations and jungle justice.
Some of the people who are often accused and targeted as witches are elderly persons, especially those with dementia.
To help draw attention to this problem, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches has chosen to focus on dementia for this year’s World Day against Witch Hunts. People with dementia experience memory loss, poor judgment, and confusion.
Their thinking and problem-solving abilities are impaired. Unfortunately, these health issues are misunderstood and misinterpreted. Hence, some people treat those with dementia with fear, not respect. They spiritualize these health conditions, and associate them with witchcraft and demons.
There have been instances where people with dementia left their homes or care centers, and were unable to return or recall their home addresses. People claimed that they were returning from witchcraft meetings; that they crash landed on their way to their occult gatherings while flying over churches or electric poles.
Imagine that! People forge absurd and incomprehensible narratives to justify the abuse of people with dementia. Sometimes, people claim that those suffering dementia turn into cats, birds, or dogs. As a result of these misconceptions, people maltreat persons with dementia without mercy; they attack, beat, and lynch them. Family members abandon them and make them suffer painful and miserable deaths. AfAW urges the public to stop these abuses, and treat people with dementia with care and compassion.
Published: August 10, 2023 By: Charlotte Müller | Sertan Sanderson – DW
Witch hunts are far from being a thing of the past — even in the 21st century. In many countries, this is still a sad reality for many women today. That is why August 10 has been declared a World Day against Witch Hunts.
Akua Denteh was beaten to death in Ghana’s East Gonja District last month — after being accused of being a witch. The murder of the 90-year-old has once more highlighted the deep-seated prejudices against women accused of practicing witchcraft in Ghana, many of whom are elderly.
An arrest was made in early August, but the issue continues to draw attention after authorities were accused of dragging their heels in the case. Human rights and gender activists now demand to see change in culture in a country where supernatural beliefs play a big role.
But the case of Akua Denteh is far from an isolated instance in Ghana, or indeed the world at large. In many countries of the world, women are still accused of practicing witchcraft each year. They are persecuted and even killed in organized witch hunts — especially in Africa but also in Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Witch hunts: a contemporary issue
Those accused of witchcraft have now found a perhaps unlikely charity ally in their fight for justice: the Catholic missionary society missio, which is part of the global Pontifical Mission Societies under the jurisdiction of the Pope, has declared August 10 as World Day against Witch Hunts, saying that in at least 36 nations around the world, people continue to be persecuted as witches.
While the Catholic Church encouraged witch hunts in Europe from the 15th to the 18th century, it is now trying to shed light into this dark practice. Part of this might be a sense of historical obligation — but the real driving force is the number of victims that witch hunts still cost today.
Historian Wolfgang Behringer, who works as a professor specializing in the early modern age at Saarland University, firmly believes in putting the numbers in perspective. He told DW that during these three centuries, between 50,000 and 60,000 people are assumed to have been killed for so-called crimes of witchcraft — a tally that is close to being twice the population of some major German cities at the time.
But he says that in the 20th century alone, more people accused of witchcraft were brutally murdered than during the three centuries when witch hunts were practiced in Europe: “Between 1960 and 2000, about 40,000 people alleged of practicing witchcraft were murdered in Tanzania alone. While there are no laws against witchcraft as such in Tanzanian law, village tribunals often decide that certain individuals should be killed,” Behringer told DW.
The historian insists that due to the collective decision-making behind these tribunals, such murders are far from being arbitrary and isolated cases: “I’ve therefore concluded that witch hunts are not a historic problem but a burning issue that still exists in the present.”
A pan-African problem?
In Tanzania, the victims of these witch hunts are often people with albinism; some people believe that the body parts of these individuals can be used to extract potions against all sorts of ailments. Similar practices are known to take place in Zambia and elsewhere on the continent.
Meanwhile in Ghana, where nonagenarian Akua Denteh was bludgeoned to death last month, certain communities blamed the birth of children with disabilities on practices of witchcraft.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is usually the younger generations who are associated witchcraft. So-called “children of witchcraft” are usually rejected by their families and left to fend for themselves. However, their so-called crimes often have little to do with sorcery at all:
“We have learned of numerous cases of children suffering rape and then no longer being accepted by their families. Or they are born as illegitimate children out of wedlock, and are forced to live with a parent who no longer accepts them,” says Thérèse Mema Mapenzi, who works as a mission project partner in the eastern DRC city of Bukayu.
‘Children of witchcraft’ in the DRC
Mapenzi’s facility was initially intended to be a women’s shelter to harbor women who suffered rape at the hands of the militia in the eastern parts of the country, where rape is used as a weapon of war as part of the civil conflict there. But over the years, more and more children started seeking her help after they were rejected as “children of witchcraft.”
With assistance from the Catholic missionary society missio, Mapenzi is now also supporting these underage individuals in coping with their many traumas while trying to find orphanages and schools for them.
“When these children come here, they have often been beaten to a pulp, have been branded as witches or have suffered other injuries. It is painful to just even look at them. We are always shocked to see these children devoid of any protection. How can this be?” Mapenzi wonders.
Seeking dialogue to end witch hunts
But there is a whole social infrastructure fueling this hatred against these young people in the DRC: Many charismatic churches blame diseases such as HIV/AIDS or female infertility on witchcraft, with illegitimate children serving as scapegoats for problems that cannot be easily solved in one of the poorest countries on earth. Other reasons cited include sudden deaths, crop failures, greed, jealousy and more.
Thérèse Mema Mapenzi says that trying to help those on the receiving end of this ire is a difficult task, especially in the absence of legal protection: “In Congolese law, witchcraft is not recognized as a violation of the law because there is no evidence you can produce. Unfortunately, the people have therefore developed their own legal practices to seek retribution and punish those whom call them witches.”
In addition to helping those escaping persecution, Mapenzi also seeks dialogue with communities to stop prejudice against those accused of witchcraft and sorcery. She wants to bring estranged families torn apart by witch hunts back together. Acting as a mediator, she talks to people, and from time to time succeeds in reuniting relatives with women and children who had been ostracized and shamed. Mapenzi says that such efforts — when they succeed — take an average of two to three years from beginning to finish.
But even with a residual risk of the victims being suspected of witchcraft again, she says her endeavors are worth the risk. She says that the fact that August 10 has been recognized as the World Day against Witch Hunts sends a signal that her work is important — and needed.
Hunting the hunters — a dangerous undertaking
For Thérèse Mema Mapenzi, the World Day against Witch Hunts marks another milestone in her uphill battle in the DRC. Jörg Nowak, spokesman for missio, agrees and hopes that there will now be growing awareness about this issue around the globe.
As part of his work, Nowak has visited several missio project partners fighting to help bring an end to witch hunts in recent years. But he wasn’t aware about the magnitude of the problem himself until 2017.
The first case he dealt with was the killing of women accused of being witches in Papua New Guinea in the 2010s — which eventually resulted in his publishing a paper on the crisis situation in the country and becoming missio’s dedicated expert on witch hunts.
But much of Nowak’s extensive research in Papua New Guinea remains largely under wraps for the time being, at least in the country itself: the evidence he accrued against some of the perpetrators there could risk the lives of missio partners working for him.
Not much has changed for centuries, apart from the localities involved when it comes to the occult belief in witchcraft, says Nowak while stressing: “There is no such thing as witchcraft. But there are accusations and stigmatization designed to demonize people; indeed designed to discredit them in order for others to gain selfish advantages.”
Maxwell Suuk and Isaac Kaledzi contributed to this article.
Another gruesome murder for ritual purposes, based on superstition and ruthlessness. An innocent small girl lost her life for a ‘money ritual’. This time it happened in Ghana.
It’s a sad story.
Warning: The articles may upset readers for their graphic contents (FVDK)
Wassa Nkyirifi: Man kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals
Residents of Wassa Nkyirifi, a farming community in the Western Region woke up on Friday morning to the horror of a suspected murder of a seven-year-old girl by her uncle for money ritual purpose.
After allegedly killing and burying the body in a nearby bush, the suspect, identified only as Augustine, a 37-year-old farmer reported to the police that his niece had gone missing.
The 7-year-old victim has been identified as Sandy Manu.
The suspect then went further to make public announcements on radio asking for help to locate his niece.
The police in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal area however, suspected foul play because of Augustine’s responses to the questions and why he was desperately concerned about the missing young girl.
Augustine’s body language, his responses and his eventual exhibition that he was terrified according to a police source, prompted an intense interrogation by the police during which he burst into tears.
According to the police source, he then confessed that he had killed the niece for money ritual so he could evade poverty.
He is said to have told the police that, he complained about poverty to one elderly man in the Wassa Nkyirifi community and the elderly man told him to use one of his many nieces for money rituals.
Upon meditation, he went to see a spiritualist the next day to help him go through the process of money rituals.
The suspect said the spiritualist then told him to bring human head – that is the head of one of his nieces.
From there, he went in for Sandy and killed her.
After killing and beheading her, he buried the headless body and concealed the head for the process.
He then led the police to the nearby bush where the headless body was buried and the body was exhumed.
The head was also retrieved from another location.
The body has since been deposited at the morgue and the suspect is currently in police custody.
A video from the scene where the body was exhumed has been shared on social media by some of the community members.
Man allegedly kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals
Published: August 5 2023 By: Myjoyonline, Ghana
Residents of Wassa Nkyirifi, a farming community in the Western Region, woke up on Friday morning to the horror of a suspected murder of a seven-year-old girl by her uncle.
After allegedly killing and burying the body in a nearby bush, the suspect, identified only as Augustine, a 37-year-old farmer reported to the police that his niece had gone missing.
The suspect then went further to make public announcements on the radio asking for help to locate his niece.
The police in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal area, however, suspected foul play because of Augustine’s responses to their questions and how he was desperately concerned about the missing young girl.
Augustine’s body language, his responses and his eventual exhibition that he was terrified according to a police source, prompted an intense interrogation during which he burst into tears.
According to the police source, he then confessed that he had killed the niece for money ritual so he could evade poverty.
The seven-year-old victim has been identified as Sandy Manu.
The suspect is said to have told the police that, he complained about poverty to one elderly man in the Wassa Nkyirifi community. The elderly man advised him to use one of his many nieces for money rituals.
Upon meditation, he allegedly went to see a spiritualist the next day to help him go through the process of money rituals.
The suspect said the spiritualist then told him to bring a human head. From there, he went in for Sandy and murdered her.
After killing and beheading her, he reportedly buried the headless body and concealed the head in the process.
The suspect then led the police to the nearby bush where the headless body was buried and the body was exhumed.
The head was also retrieved from another location. The body has since been deposited at the morgue and the suspect is currently in police custody.
Meanwhile, a video from the scene where the body was exhumed has been shared on social media by some of the community members.
If one could speak of good news when hearing about an attempted ritual murder then the good news comes from Ghana.
Reportedly, a 29-year old man abducted a 5-year old girl with the intention to have her sacrificed in a money ritual, but thanks to an honest herbalist whom he presented the child the death of the innocent victim was prevented.
The incident happened in Accra, last month, and this week the accused stood trial. An Accra Circuit Court sentenced the accused – who denied – to 60 months in jail. A victory for justice. Hail to the herbalist and to judicial system in Ghana! Read the full story below (webmaster FVDK).
Head porter jailed 60 months for attempting to use 5-year old girl for money ritual
Published: May 30, 2023 By: My Joy Online (myjoyonline.com)
An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 29-year-old head porter to 60 months imprisonment for presenting a five-year-old girl for money ritual at Pokuase in Accra.
Isaac Gabianu kidnapped the victim at a public toilet in Accra and presented the minor to a herbalist at Pokuase for money ritual. The herbalist, however, sent the victim and the convict to the Police. Charged with child stealing, Gabianu pleaded not guilty.
At the end of the trial, the court presided over by Mrs Christina Cann found him guilty.
The court held that the prosecution at the end of the trial succeeded in proving the offence against Gabianu. It, therefore, handed down a deterrent sentence. In his plea for mitigation, Gabianu, who was self-represented, said: ” I cannot confess what I have not done.”
The prosecution led by Superintendent of Police, Agnes Boafo, narrated that the complainant, Patricia Asamoah, was a trader residing at Mallam, Accra. It said the convict was a head porter residing at CMB, Accra.
On April 3, 2023, at about 7:30 pm, the complainant went to the Charge Office of the Railway Police Station, Accra, to report her missing daughter. The prosecution said the complainant indicated that she had gone to the Kantamanto Market, Accra, with the five-year-old daughter and had asked her to wait for her (complainant) in front of a public toilet while she attended to nature’s call at about 1730 hours.
It said after attending to nature’s call, the complainant could not find her daughter and on April 4, 2023, at about 12:30 am, the Police at Pokuase received information that Gabianu had been arrested over an attempted money ritual and brought to them by a herbalist.
The prosecution said the Police at Pokuase then handed over Gabianu to the Accra Railway Police for further investigations. It said the herbalist indicated that Gabianu had brought the victim to him to be killed for a ” sacrifice for money ritual”.
The prosecution said in Gabianu’s caution statement, he admitted the offence.
Leo Igwe does not need any introduction. Multiple times I have posted articles on this indefatigable human rights champion. See e.g. my October 25, 2021 posting.
The belief in witchcraft and the weak rule of law in many African countries contribute to mob justice (or ‘jungle justice’ as this popular act is also called) and lynchings of perceived witches. In Kenya e.g., as in many other African countries, mob justice is criminal. Nevertheless, up to five incidents are reported (!) weekly in this East African country. The reader may guess what happens in other African countries… (FVDK).
Witchcraft Persecution and Advocacy without Borders in Africa
Published: March 3, 2023 By: This Day – Nigeria
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches urges Africans to campaign against abuses linked to witchcraft beliefs everywhere. This call follows the rescue of Nigerian nationals, who were accused of witchcraft in Kenya. As reported, the police rescued these Nigerians in Thika Town in Kiambu County. It was stated that an angry mob beat and almost lynched them while they were performing some rituals. These Nigerians claimed that they were conducting some prayers. It was not stated the kind of prayers that they were conducting. The police intervened, resisted the mob, and took these nationals, who sustained some injuries, to a nearby hospital.
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches commends the Kenya police for intervening and rescuing these foreign nationals. As in many parts of Africa, witchcraft accusation is a killer phenomenon, and a death sentence. These foreign nationals were fortunate. Police rescued them. In many instances, the police arrive late, after the damage has been done.
Recently, Kenya recorded incidents of witch persecution and killing. Last week, two elderly women, accused of witchcraft, were lynched in Murang’a County. There is still no information regarding the arrest and prosecution of suspected perpetrators of this heinous crime. In other African countries, such as Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, accusations of witchcraft and witch persecution take place. Alleged witches have been attacked, killed, or banished. However, in most cases, locals are the target.
People often accuse members of their neighbors, members of their family or community. This incident draws attention to the fact that foreigners are also at risk of being accused. Africans should look beyond their borders in advocating against witchcraft-linked violations. People often demonize strange and unfamiliar prayer and ritual forms. They regard them as evil, as invocations of occult harm. African Christians and Muslims have been indoctrinated to demonize, occultize and witchcraftize religious others, especially traditional religions or any ritual forms that deviate from religion, as they know it.
As this incident has illustrated, those who conduct prayers and rituals that depart from local norms are at risk of being accused of witchcraft and evil magic. Witchcraft accusation is a threat to the lives of Africans everywhere. Africans should not look the other way as alleged witches are attacked and killed in other countries. They should know that everyone is at risk of being accused or killed for witchcraft, whether you are a local or a foreigner. Africans should strive to advocate against witchcraft accusations and witch persecution without borders.
In Ghana, on average at least 16 ritual murders occur each year. Every fortnight, a family mourns the death of a loved one who lost his or her life because of the wickedness, unscrupulousness and the belief in witchcraft of the perpetrator(s) who search power, prestige, wealth or good health by committing a ritual murder.
The National Head Pastor of the 7th Day Pentecostal Church, Elder Enoch Ofori Jr., addressed a large crowd at the end of December (2022), condemning ritualistic practices and calling on the government to apply the rule of law. The meeting was organized by the 7th Day Pentecostal Assemblies and was held in the Ashanti Region (Central Region). In particular, the reverend minister cited the notorious Mankessim ritual murder case which occurred in the Central Region last year. I’ve reported on this ritual murder case on various occasions (see my postings dated September 27, September 30, and October 1, October 2 and October 3).
Elder Enoch Oforu is to be commended for raising his voice against the ugly practice of ritualistic killings in the country. His condemnation is even more important as he spoke at a meeting which was attended by the entire 25 branch churches across the country. (webmaster FVDK).
Rev Minister calls for effective enforcement of laws on ritual murders
Published: January 3, 2023 By: King Amoah – Modern Ghana