Despite six gruesome murders involving mutilated bodies over the past decade, the government of Botswana insist none can be classified as ritual killings. The reason? Minister for State President, Defence, and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, responding to a parliamentary question from Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi, explained that ‘In our statuses in general and the penal code in particular , we don’t have an offence called ritual killing.’ However, he admitted that Botswana is currently faced with a high number of reported missing persons – see the article below for the exact number of missing persons who were never recovered.
This is not to say that all missing persons have been murdered, let alone murdered for ritualistic reasons. But the harsh reality is that ritual murders – known in Southern Africa as ‘muti murders’ – do indeed occur in Botswana. See my posts of 2018 (referring to a suspected ritual murder case in 2017), 2019 (referring to a 2006 case), 2020 (including a 2011 article), 2021, 2022 (detailing a devastating 2019 report) and 2023. Some of these posts concern albino victims, see the 2022 post mentioned. In 2023 then Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi (2018-2024) condemned ritual murder practices.
Hence, Minister Mohwasa’s statement may be theoretically true, in the strict sense of the law, but that says nothing about the fact that ritual murder does indeed occur in Botswana. (webmaster FVDK).
‘There is no such thing as ritual killings in our laws’ – Minister for State President, Defence, and Security Moeti Mohwasa
Published: March 24, 2026 By: Mmegionline – Botwana
This was revealed by the Minister for State President, Defence, and Security Moeti Mohwasa. Mohwasa was responding to a parliamentary question from Member of Parliament (MP) for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi.
Lesedi had sought to find out from government a comprehensive report on the number of persons who have gone missing and those who have been reported missing in Botswana in the last 10 years.
The MP also sought to find out how many cases were due to kidnapping and ritual killings and what is being done to sensitize the public about such incidents.
To which the minister explained, “ In our statuses in general and the penal code in particular , we don’t have an offence called ritual killing. We are therefore constrained to speak to a crime that is not in our statutes. The taking of human life is criminalised as murder’.
Mohwasa however admitted that the country is currently grappling with high number of reported missing persons.
“Most of them are the youth who go away without informing their relatives and guardians about their whereabouts. 6677 reports of missing persons which involved 6765 from 2016 to 2025 of the total, 3,412 were male , whilst 3,353 were female,” the Minister shared.
The Minister further stated that through search efforts by the police, the communities and publication on BPS Facebook page a total of 6,3330 missing persons were recovered while 426 were never recovered.
According to statistics in 2023 Botswana recorded 728 missing persons with 686 found, and 42 still missing, in 2024 709 were reported, with 647 found whilst 62 are still missing , in 2025 a total of 618 missing persons report was filed whilst 586 were recovered 32 are still missing.
Warning: the following post contains graphic details of abductions, mutilations and other criminal acts including murder which may upset readers.
Unfortunately, the abduction, mutilation and killing of persons with albinism for ritualistic purposes have never disappeared in the Southern African country of Malawi. I have devoted considerable attention to this in the past.
Without pretending to be exhaustive I refer to the following posts: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024. Interested readers may use the dropdown menu (under ‘African countries’) for all posts on Malawi. For last year, 2025, I may refer to an article published by The Guardian, A friend killed, and inquiries shelved: life fighting the stigma of albinism in Malawi (not covered on the present ste). It draws attention to the increasing fear among people with albinism in light of the scheduled elections.
As has been reported before, there exists a link between an increase of reported ritualistic killings and elections (see my March 18 post) – and Malawi does not seem to be an exception – whereas the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) has drawn attention to the connivance of certain politicians who obstruct fair investigations into reported attacks on people with albinism and ritual murder cases or sweep them under the rug, see my 2021 post on the subject.
The Malawi-based journalist and media professional Benson Kunchezera has a strong focus on development reporting, particularly in areas such as agriculture, digital innovation, public health, and environmental sustainability. Besides the just mentioned areas of interest and competence he is also interested in human rights issues in particular the position of persons with albinism and their plight in some countries notably Malawi. I commend him for drawing international attention to the precarious position of people with albinism in Malawi and highly recommended reading his recently published article on this topic.
Malawi’s renewed attacks on persons with albinism raise alarm
Attacks, abductions, and grave tampering targeting persons with albinism have resurfaced across Malawi in 2026, reigniting fears that the country’s progress on protecting this vulnerable community is unravelling. Civil society is fighting back — but without a renewed national action plan, advocates warn the worst may be yet to come.
The story of Flora Saidi remains one of the most painful reminders of the violence faced by people with albinism in Malawi. According to accounts documented by advocacy organisations supporting persons with albinism in the country.
Flora Saidi
It was a Monday morning in 2003 when Flora Saidi left her home in Kadewere village under Traditional Authority Chowe in Mangochi, hoping to find piecework to feed her family. She left behind her 19-year-old son, Saidi Daitoni, a young man with albinism.
When she returned home empty-handed later that afternoon, her son had managed to earn a small amount of money. They agreed to share it with his girlfriend, who was visiting. Saidi left with her to look for change so they could divide the money properly. He never returned.
The following morning, Flora began searching for him. By then, he had disappeared. Police were informed, and after a search, his body was discovered near a residence he had visited the previous evening. Some of his body parts had been removed. The perpetrator was later sentenced to 155 years in prison with hard labour.
PERSISTENT THREATS IN RURAL MALAWI
Malawi has 134,636 persons with albinism, with over 117,000 living in rural areas. It is in these rural communities where poverty, limited law-enforcement presence, and entrenched myths combine to create dangerous conditions.
Persons with Albinism, especially in the southern African regions face persecutions, because their body parts are believed to bring lack of wealth after being mixed with some concoctions by a witch doctor.
Others believe that when they have unprotected sexual intercourse with a person with albinism they can get cured of HIV/ AIDS.
The Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) has documented fresh cases in districts including Mulanje, Kasungu, and Dowa. Grave tampering and disappearances have reignited fear among families who had begun to feel cautiously safe.
In February 2018, Amnesty International published a joint report by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Malawi Police Force with 148 cases reported in Malawi’s four districts.
Recently, in 2026, more than 4 cases of persons with Albinism have been recorded by the Malawi Police Service ranging from attacks, abductions and tampering of graves in some parts of the country.
“We thought we were coming to an end of these attacks,” Maynard Zacharia, APAM’s National Coordinator, told FairPlanet. “Now we are seeing signs that the underlying issues were never fully resolved.”
Maynard Zacharia
COMMUNITY PROTECTION IN ACTION
In response, APAM has intensified its on-the-ground efforts. The organisation is not only condemning attacks publicly but also mobilising communities in hotspot districts such as Machinga.
One strategy involves relocating children with albinism from high-risk areas to safer homes. In some cases, this means placing them in boarding facilities or with vetted guardians where security is stronger. At the same time, APAM is lobbying authorities and partners to invest in secure-housing projects with reinforced doors, burglar bars, and community-based surveillance systems.
Beyond physical protection, APAM is conducting awareness campaigns aimed at dismantling the myths that drive violence. Working with chiefs, faith leaders, and local youth groups, activists hold community dialogues that confront harmful beliefs directly. In village meetings, survivors and families share testimonies, reframing albinism as a genetic condition rather than a mystical anomaly.
“These conversations are not easy,” Zacharia told FairPlanet. “But we have seen that when traditional leaders publicly reject the myths, attitudes begin to shift.”
The organisation is also pressing for the conclusion of more than 28 long-pending court cases involving murder and abduction. By monitoring proceedings and engaging legal-aid partners, APAM hopes to prevent cases from stalling indefinitely — a pattern that erodes public trust.
Kaiyatsa told FairPlanet that fear remains a major barrier to reporting threats. In rural areas, families often hesitate to approach police due to mistrust in the justice system and fear of retaliation.
According to him, the situation was further complicated by the controversial pardon of police officers previously convicted in connection with an albinism-related killing. For rights groups, the decision sent a damaging signal.
“To victims’ families, it suggested that justice can be undone,” Kaiyatsa told FairPlanet. “To would-be offenders, it reinforced the perception that accountability is not guaranteed.”
Michael Kaiyatsa
In response, CHRR and other organisations have stepped up advocacy for witness-protection mechanisms and independent monitoring of investigations. They are pushing Parliament and relevant ministries to allocate dedicated funding for protection programmes and to ensure that cases are prioritised within the judiciary.
REVIVING NATIONAL COMMITMENTS
Malawi once drew international praise for adopting a National Action Plan on the Protection of Persons with Albinism. However, the plan expired in 2022 and has yet to be renewed, leaving what activists describe as a dangerous coordination gap.
“Commitments on paper are not enough,” Zacharia says. “We need implementation that reaches the village level.”
REBUILDING TRUST FROM THE GROUND UP
On the ground, solutions are increasingly community-driven. In some districts, local committees made up of chiefs, police representatives, teachers, and activists meet regularly to assess risks and share information. Informal early-warning systems — such as community WhatsApp groups with coordinated night patrols-have been introduced in certain high-risk areas.
Civil society organisations are advocating for long-term assistance for affected families, including counselling, educational support for orphaned children, and income-generating projects for households that have lost breadwinners.
These initiatives aim not only to respond to attacks but to address their ripple-effects — school dropouts, psychological trauma, and deepening poverty.
A FRAGILE BUT DETERMINED PROGRESS
Organisations such as the Scotland Malawi Partnership insist that regression is not inevitable. They point to the increasing visibility of persons with albinism in advocacy spaces, media platforms, and leadership roles.
Flora Saidi, though still grieving, has participated in community meetings where she shares her story. Her testimony serves both as a warning and a call to action.
For Malawi, the struggle to protect persons with albinism is about more than ending ritual killings. It is about strengthening rural policing, restoring faith in the justice system, and dismantling centuries-old myths.
For people like Flora Saidi, safety is still uncertain, but hope lies in the quiet work happening in villages and communities across Malawi.
Their efforts may not end the attacks overnight. But for families living in fear, each community meeting, each court case and each safe home built is a step toward something simple with the chance to live an ordinary life without fear.
Warning: the article presented here contains graphic details which may upset readers.
On March 17, I posted Tanzania court upholds death sentence in rural murder. A Babati man who had been found guilty of murdering his stepson for ritualistic purposes heard the final verdict for his crime: the capital punishment.
A few days later, Joseph Muhuila, an Iringa man, was given the same sentence by the High Court of Tanzania: death by hanging, for killing his four-year-old son, Timothy Muhulila, allegedly for ritualistic practices. The cruel crime occurred on April 12, 2025.
Iringa Region is one of Tanzania‘s 31 administrative regions, located in the middle of this East African country, in size comparable to e.g. Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. In 2022 the region had a population of about 1.2 million people.
So, within a short space of time, the law in Tanzania dealt decisively with ritual murderers who have been found guilty. On the one hand, this shows beyond any doubt that ritual murder does indeed occur in this country of over 70 million inhabitants, spread across more than 120 different ethnic groups. (There was, incidentally, no doubt about this, as Tanzania is often in the news for the wrong reasons due to the abduction, mutilation and ritual murder of people with albinism. Also see my 2019 post on the precarious position, discrimination, kidnapping and murder of people with albinism in Tanzania.) On the other hand, it is also a hopeful sign that the country’s highest authorities are serious about prosecuting the perpetrators of these violent crimes, which are based on superstition, greed and contempt for the right to life of innocent people, sometimes small children or other vulnerable individuals. (webmaster FVDK)
Iringa man sentenced to death for killing four-year-old son in ritual killing case
Published: March 18, 2026 By: Friday Simbaya – The Citizen
Reportedly, the suspect, a spiritualist who allegedly inherited his father’s deities, confessed the ritual murder. The victim, his girlfriend, was found with body parts mutilated and missing. A source, present at the site where the victim’s body was discovered, reported that her head, hands, legs, private part had all been cut off (source: Eyewitness details how spiritualist allegedly killed girlfriend at Bentum, GhanaWeb, dated March 12, 2026).
This ritual murder case follows a previous one, which occurred two weeks ago. A newborn baby was found dead in a nearby community with body parts missing.
As a result, fear has struck the region. When will the perpetrators strike again? Who will be the next victim? Who are the perpetrators? (webmaster FVDK)
Spiritualist arrested over suspected murder of woman in Awutu Senya District
Published: March 12, 2026 By: myjoyonline.com
Police in the Central Region have arrested a man in his early twenties, identified as Horlali Alatusa, in connection with the suspected killing of a woman believed to be his girlfriend at Bentum in the Awutu Senya District.
The suspect was apprehended after a farmer lodged a complaint about a strong and unpleasant odour coming from a section of his farmland, raising suspicions among residents.
According to community members, some residents escorted the suspect to the farm on Tuesday, March 10, where they attempted to locate the body by digging a trench believed to have been earlier created by him. However, the initial search did not produce any results.
The situation was later reported to the police after residents noticed bloodstains around the area that had been dug, further deepening suspicions of foul play.
Police investigations subsequently led to the arrest of the suspect, who allegedly confessed during interrogation and directed officers to another location where the body of the deceased had been concealed.
The remains of the unidentified woman were discovered with several parts of the body mutilated.
Some residents suspect the killing may be linked to ritual practices, noting that the suspect is known in the community as a spiritualist who reportedly inherited his father’s deities.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to the media said the deceased had last been seen in the company of the suspect in the community on Sunday before she suddenly went missing.
Angered by the discovery of the body, some residents vandalised and demolished the suspect’s residence.
Police have since conveyed the remains for further examination while the suspect remains in custody to assist with ongoing investigations.
Fear in Awutu Bentum: Spiritualist Arrested Over Suspected Ritual Killing – YouTube
Residents of Awutu Bentum in the Central Region are gripped by fear following a series of suspected ritual killings in the community.
Police have arrested a spiritualist, Horlali Alatusa, in connection with the suspected murder of an unidentified woman believed to be his girlfriend. Residents became suspicious after the woman suddenly went missing and a foul stench was noticed from the suspect’s farm. After interrogation, the suspect reportedly led police to a spot where the decomposing remains of the victim were discovered.
The disturbing incident comes just two weeks after a newborn baby was found dead in a nearby community with body parts missing, deepening concerns about safety in the area.
Screenshot – to access the YouTube video, please click here
King Mswati III (born in 1968, crowned king in 1986) is Africa’s last absolute monarch. He rules with his mother, Queen Nfombi. King Mswati III renamed his country then called Swaziland to Eswatini in 2018.
King Mswati III introduced a number of measures and changes which brought some relief to the country that had been ruled by his father, King Sobhuza II, with an iron fist since independence from the British in 1968. Officially, Sobhuza II was King of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history.
King Mwsati’s s rule is not undisputed. In fact, his lifestyle and human rights violations have been criticized at several occasions. However, as the story below tells, he showed positive leadership – ‘leadership by example’ – in advocating the rights of people with albinism.
At various occasions I have drawn attention to the precarious position of people living with albinism in Africa. They are discriminated, bullied, attacked, and sometimes killed – murdered, as some people believe that their body parts can bring luck, wealth, prestige or power.
For this reason I wish to commend King Mswati III and the Queen mother for their precious example and I hope that the example given by Their Majesties will not only be followed by the people of Eswatini but also in neighboring g countries where the position of people with albinism is also threatened by prejudice an superstition. (webmaster FVDK)
King Mswati III
Cultural leadership confronts albinism discrimination head-on
People living with albinism together with those living with disabilities at the recently ended Incwala Ceremony. Eswatini customs and culture prohibited such communities of people from getting closer or inside royal residences. His Majesty King Mswati III has since changed this long-held custom to accommodate people living with albinism and disabilities (Pic: Sibusiso Shange)
Published: February 18, 2026 By: Khaya Simelane – Times of Eswatini
MBABANE – In Eswatini cultural visibility is becoming protection for people with albinism and a tool to dismantle stigmatisation.
A new breath of fresh air is changing and shaping the narrative around a community long confined to the periphery and deep fear.
For decades, thousands of Africans born with albinism have mastered the art of invisibility. Whether at communities, schools, sports and everywhere, they have, out of their will, been forced to remain invisible, even if against their will.
From a young age, they have been made to feel different. With many labels around them prevalent across African communities, none has driven them to remain invisible than the one recently introduced in which they are labelled ‘ma-Millions’.
This labelling, though sometimes uttered jokingly, relates to the widespread belief that the body parts of people living with albinism are ‘powerful’ to make one a millionaire.
According to Menzi Sukati, founder of the Albinism Society of Eswatini (ASESWA), the prevalent belief that people with their condition are sources of wealth is exactly what perpetuates their killing.
As a result, he said from a tender age, most commonly in the rural villages and crowded locations, they have grown up calculating risks before stepping outside, either to play or hang out with their peers.
Night travelling is strictly discouraged while during elections, many of them keep a low profile, he added.
This stems from an entrenched myth across the continent that has portrayed people with albinism as mystical beings whose body parts can generate wealth, political power or supernatural protection.
Those myths have fuelled ritual attacks, mutilations and killings that have left families traumatised and communities fractured.
King’s counter-image efforts
At last year’s Umhlanga Ceremony and again during the recently concluded Incwala, the country’s most sacred cultural ceremony, people living with albinism were visibly invited and welcomed.
According to Senior Archivist and Cultural Anthropologist Lethumusa Simelane, King Mswati III has once again stood in the moment of time and embodied inclusivity and Ubuntu.
Simelane stated that what the Monarch has done can not only be limited to only fighting stigmatisation against people with albinism.
Instead, the King has moved beyond the acceptable norm to harmoniously review and relax some of the country’s cultural traditional practices governing ceremonies and royal residences (tigodlo).
“When talking about what the King has done, we must never forget that growing up, we knew that certain people were not allowed closer or inside royal residences,” said the anthropologist.
He explained that culturally, such beliefs had nothing to do with the person’s natural being, however more with the foundational systems governing African monarchies.
“Therefore, the King, cognisant of the changing times reached the a difficult decision by appealing to the custodians of our culture and sought their permission to relax some of these practices. The King realised that he cannot be a King to some, while others are pushed away from him,” said Simelane.
The renowned Eswatini historian likened the King to the Biblical Christ, who, despite Jewish law and beliefs decided to defy and dine with people with leprosy.
The historian underscored that when respected leaders, like the King publicly contradict myths; they shift social norms more effectively than legislation alone.
In his remarks, he confidently stressed that the King had once again become the symbol of Ubuntu and a true father, sending a strong message that there was no place for uncultured beliefs in the kingdom.
Transformative
Simelane added that in a region where visibility can invite danger, the sight of them standing confidently at the centre of national tradition carried unusual weight.
He said for a community accustomed to the margins, standing at the heart of culture can be transformative. Against this continental backdrop, he said the kingdom’s recent cultural inclusion offers a sharply contrasting image.
Incwala is not just a festival in the casual sense. It is a deeply spiritual ceremony (prayer) centred on kingship, renewal and national unity.
Participation, therefore, signals belonging to the moral and cultural fabric of the nation.
In many African societies, stigma is often justified in the language of tradition. When harmful myths are rooted in culture, dismantling them requires trusted cultural authority.
In Eswatini, the monarchy remains one of the most influential institutions across rural chiefdoms and community structures.
The images of people with albinism participating in the recently ended Incwala Ceremony deserved to be applauded, and for the King to be formally appreciated, according to Simelane.
In a continent where some children with albinism have been relocated to boarding schools for protection, being publicly welcomed into a royal ceremony reframes belonging.
Myth
Albinism is a rare, genetically inherited condition characterised by little or no production of melanin in the skin, hair and eyes. It is non-contagious.
In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated one in 4 000 people are born with the condition, although prevalence varies by country.
The condition brings medical vulnerability, particularly to skin cancer and visual impairment in equatorial climates.
To every observer, the King has outdone the Tanzanian Government and instead of the courts he used culture to dismantle stereotypes around albinism.
According to an article by researcher Charlotte Baker published in The Conversation, human rights violations against people with albinism in Tanzania have included discrimination, verbal abuse, exclusion from education and health services, as well as killings, abductions, mutilations and even grave exhumations to obtain body parts for sale.
The violence has prompted Tanzanian and international civil rights groups to file a case before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights against the Government of Tanzania, arguing that it had failed to protect this minority.
The court found that, although some steps had been taken, the state violated the right to life by failing to protect them as required under Article 4 of the African Charter.
It also ruled that Tanzania breached the right to non-discrimination by not doing enough to combat myths and stereotypes.
The ruling ordered nationwide awareness campaigns for at least two years, amendments to the 1928 Witchcraft Act to criminalise attacks, implementation of a national action plan, improved access to health services including sunscreen and eye care, educational support, and the establishment of a compensation fund for victims.
Baker notes that since 2007 more than 700 attacks and killings across 28 countries have been reported to the Canadian organisation Under the Same Sun, although many cases go unrecorded.
In Tanzania alone, there have been 209 reported attacks since 2007.These numbers tell a story of fear that extends far beyond one country.
Government driving advocacy
Meanwhile, the Eswatini Government has intensified its efforts towards promoting the rights, welfare and inclusion of people with albinism.
On February 13, 2026, the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Senator Thuli Dladla received a donation of sunscreen lotions and protective lip balms donated by the kingdom’s TV station to people with albinism.
The DPM, when accepting the donations extended her appreciation to the Monarch for leading the way, noting that it was pleasing to see organisations and entities across the country take leaf and follow in the footsteps of the King and Queen Mother.
“The gesture by Their Majesties has affirmed to all and sundry that people with albinism are human too. Even the doubting Thomas’s that were pushing them away from Their Majesties and the country’s cultural practices have been silenced,” said the DPM.
Dladla mentioned that by extending the cultural space to people with albinism, the Monarch did more than host guests. It publicly affirmed that they are part of the kingdom’s identity.
According to Dladla, Simelane and Sukati, the King has done more than spearhead a law meant to protect, promotes and embrace people with albinism, as well as their rights.
Advocacy efforts have included sunscreen donations and awareness campaigns, recognising that ultraviolet exposure poses a serious health risk.
Without melanin, skin is highly susceptible to damage and untreated skin cancer can drastically reduce life expectancy.
The DPM further stressed that indeed inclusion of people with albinism at high-profile events must translate into action and policy.
A senior traditionalist when contacted stated that when the highest traditional authority in a country affirms the dignity of people with albinism, it sends a message to rural homesteads and urban neighbourhoods alike.
Commenting anonymously as no formal appreciation has been extended to Their Majesties as per culture; the traditionalist joyfully appreciated the inclusion of the albinism community in cultural activities in order to fight the stigma around them.
The well-known traditionalist mentioned that for a child born with albinism in the country today, the image of participation in Incwala or Umhlanga offered a counter-narrative to fear.
“Instead of being told to hide, that child can see proof of belonging,” he said.
Legal obligation
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations (UN) body mandated to promote and protect human rights globally, people with albinism continue to face widespread discrimination rooted in ignorance, superstition and harmful myths.
The OHCHR states that persons with albinism are often denied equal access to healthcare, education and legal protection. In some regions, they are reportedly subjected to extreme violence fuelled by false beliefs about their condition.
It emphasises that governments have a legal obligation to protect them, prosecute perpetrators of attacks and implement comprehensive strategies to eliminate stigma and discrimination.
In recognition of these challenges, the UN General Assembly proclaimed June 13, as International Albinism Awareness Day in 2014, observed annually since 2015.
The day seeks to raise global awareness about albinism, combat myths and misconceptions while further promoting the rights, dignity and inclusion of persons with the condition.
Through this international observance, the UN calls on states and communities to shift from silence and superstition to protection, awareness and meaningful inclusion reinforcing the principle that people with albinism are human beings entitled to life, equality and full participation in society.
Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has adopted a strong human-rights-based approach to combat discrimination and violence against persons with albinism across the continent.
Through its Regional Action Plan on Albinism in Africa (2021–2031), formally adopted by the AU Executive Council in 2019, the continental body seeks to end attacks and other human rights violations targeting persons with albinism.
The framework focuses on four key pillars, namely; preventing attacks, protecting victims, ensuring accountability for perpetrators and promoting equality and non-discrimination.
The AU recognises albinism as a disability and situates protection measures within its broader disability rights framework, including the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.
It also highlights the heightened vulnerability of women and children, calling on member states to implement specific protective measures.
In coordination with the United Nations and civil society organisations, the AU urges African governments to adopt national action plans, strengthen legal systems and intensify public awareness campaigns, particularly around International Albinism Awareness Day on June 13, to confront the root causes of stigma and violence.
Together, these continental and global efforts underscore a growing commitment to replace myth and marginalisation with protection, dignity and full inclusion.
Complacency
Still, some scholars across the continent have warned against romanticising the moment. Across Africa, attacks have sometimes declined only to resurface during periods of economic hardship or political contestation.
Election cycles in certain countries have historically coincided with spikes in ritual violence fuelled by rumours that charms made from body parts can secure victory. (Italics and bold letter-type added by the webmaster FVDK).
Structural inequality, unemployment and desperation create fertile ground for exploitative myths.
“The real test is whether people with albinism feel secure in remote communities, whether police respond swiftly to threats and whether courts prosecute offenders consistently,” noted one scholar.
The African Court’s ruling against Tanzania has set a legal precedent across the continent, signalling that states have enforceable obligations to protect persons with albinism. It reinforces that attacks rooted in superstition are not cultural nuances but human rights violations.
At the same time, Eswatini’s cultural inclusion demonstrates that tradition can be mobilised in defence of dignity.
Warning: the article presented below contains graphic details of torture and murder that some readers may find distressing.
The main thrust of the article presented below was already the focus of an 2014 article which I posted in 2019, Children accused of witchcraft: abuse cases on the rise in UK. More than ten year after the publication of the first-mentioned article there is reason to again draw attention to this terrifying phenomenon. It is difficult to imagine that in our immediate environment children are abused, tortured, and sometimes killed because of the belief in witchcraft of the adult perpetrators, sometimes close relatives.
It all began with the discovery of the mutilated torso of a young boy floating in the river Thames, in 2001. The police gave him the name ‘Adam’ and under this name the poor victim became known worldwide. I have covered in much detail the horrific and sickening discovery and the harrowing story behind it. See my posts entitled The unsolved case of the torso in the Thames, Part I (dated March 25, 2019), Part II (March 27, 2019) and Part III (March 28, 2019).
Unfortunately, the case of ‘Adam’ does not stand alone as the article below amply demonstrates.
We must all be vigilant in identifying signs of child abuse and other crimes promptly and bringing them to the immediate attention of the authorities and relevant agencies. Vulnerable individuals in our society, such as young children, deserve a normal, loving life, free from threats and pain. (webmaster FVDK)
The disturbing evidence that witchcraft is spreading across Britain unchecked… 30 years after discovery of horrific voodoo-style murder should have ended it for good
Published: February 26, 2026 By: Aidan Radnedge and Nick Pyke, The Daily Mail
A quarter of a century has passed since the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie and the shocking realisation that voodoo-style murder and abuse were taking hold in the capital of a modern, affluent democracy.
Victoria met a horrific end. Tortured, beaten with implements including coat hangers and a bike chain, deliberately scalded and forced to sleep in a bin liner in a freezing bathroom, she finally died of multiple organ failure at the age of eight. Her tiny body, weighing just 3st 10lb, was marked by 128 separate injuries.
Her ‘crime’? The girl was said by relatives to have been possessed by ‘kindoki’, or evil spirits, requiring exorcism by a pastor and justifying a campaign of sadistic violence.
The killing in 2000 and the public enquiry that followed should have been seismic: a warning to the public and politicians that, however improbable, belief in witchcraft was emerging as a fact of life in Britain.
Yet today, despite the horror of Victoria’s death and subsequent cases, there is disturbing evidence that ritual violence – involving beliefs and practices overwhelmingly imported from abroad – is continuing to spread unchecked.
The latest official figures show a huge increase in the number of children identified as potential victims of abuse ‘linked to faith or belief’, a category including claims of witchcraft and spirit possession.
Analysis released late last year by the Local Government Association, representing councils and their social services departments in England, found there had been 2,180 cases of possible faith-linked abuse in 2024, a disturbing 49 per cent increase in the seven years since 2017.
Moreover, the true scale of the problem could be significantly worse amid fears that ritual abuse is routinely under-reported because social workers and others wish to avoid being labelled racist.
Among the most notorious cases was eight-year-old Victoria Climbié, tortured to death in 2000 by relatives who believed she was possessed
With motives ranging from ignorance and fear to the demented belief that human sacrifice confers supernatural protection, and even wealth, the cases that do reach the public eye are harrowing, the majority with links to sub-Saharan Africa.
A recent documentary film, Kindoki Witch Boy, tells the story of Mardoche Yembi, who had been sent from the Democratic Republic of Congo to live with his aunt and uncle in North London.
At the age of 12, Mardoche was branded a witch by relatives, accused of bringing bad luck and subjected to two months of traumatic exorcisms. The film is now available on YouTube.
An even more disturbing case took place on Christmas Day in 2010, when 15-year-old Kristy Bamu was beaten and drowned by his sister and her boyfriend in the London borough of Newham after being accused of ‘kindoki’, like Victoria Climbie.
Kristy endured four days of torture with knives, sticks, metal bars, a hammer and pliers. He drowned after being forced into a bath for ritual cleansing. Kristy’s siblings were also beaten but survived because they ‘confessed’ to being witches.
Magalie Bamu, then 29, and her partner Eric Bikubi, 28 – both Congolese – were jailed for life in 2012.
In sentencing them, the judge said: ‘The belief in witchcraft, however genuine, cannot excuse an assault to another person, let alone the killing of another human being.’
There are accusations of ‘possession’ in other cultures, too, with cases of abuse reported in Christian, Hindu and Muslim families, where some still believe in the idea of evil spirits known as ‘djinns’.
Just days before Kristy’s Bamu’s murder, Shayma Ali strangled then disembowelled her four-year-old daughter with a kitchen knife during a frenzied attempt to exorcise the girl.
Ali, who had gouged out the eyes of her daughter’s dolls to prevent them ‘seeing evil’, was sent to a mental hospital.
In 2005, two women were jailed at the Old Bailey after being convicted of child cruelty for torturing and threatening to kill an orphaned child refugee from Angola whom they claimed was a witch.
The Old Bailey was told that the girl, known only as Child B, was starved, cut with a knife, beaten with a belt and a shoe and had chilli peppers rubbed in her eyes to drive ‘the devil out of her’.
At one point, the eight-year-old was bundled into a zip-up laundry bag and told she would be ‘thrown away’ into a river. She was rescued after being found in her bare feet, shivering, outside a council house in Hackney.
His head, arms and legs had been removed in what detectives believe was a ritual killing, potentially as a sacrifice or in a ‘muti’ ceremony, in which body parts are taken in the belief they produce potent magical remedies.
The boy, aged between four and seven and found wearing only a pair of orange shorts, had recently arrived from Nigeria.
Britain’s leading rituals expert, Dr Richard Hoskins, brought into advise on the case, concluded that Adam was a victim of human sacrifice.
Victoria Climbié had been sent to England by her parents who hoped she would gain a better education than in her native Ivory CoastVictoria’s parents set up the Victoria Climbié Foundation following her death, campaigning for improvements to child protection in the UK
His 2012 book on the subject, The Boy in the River was serialised in The Mail on Sunday and is now scheduled to be dramatised as a feature film.
Dr Hoskins concluded that the boy had been trafficked to London, speculating that he was butchered while drugged but conscious by a ‘babalawo’ witchdoctor using rituals from the Yoruba people Osagiede of south-west Nigeria.
In Yoruban religion, wrote Dr Hoskins, ‘deities forming a bridge between this world and higher realms require sacrifice.
‘Not necessarily human sacrifice, of course, and especially not nowadays, but the practice persists in some deviant offshoots.’
In 2002, a Nigerian woman called Joyce Osagiede told Glasgow social workers that she had married a member of a cult called The Black Coat Eyes Of The Devil Guru Maharaj.
When later interviewed by British police in Lagos, she said she had been a cult organiser and had bought a pair of orange-red shorts similar to those found on Adam. She added: ‘I know he was killed in Lewisham.’
Osagiede later claimed to an ITV journalist that she had brought Adam to London and that his real name was Ikpomwosa. No one has ever been charged with his murder.
Yet it is the fate of Victoria Climbié that today remains the most notorious case of witchcraft abuse and killing in this country.
Victoria had been sent to England by her parents to gain a better education than in her native Ivory Coast but found only misery and death.
Victoria Climbié was starved, tortured, beaten with bike chains and kept prisoner in a freezing bathroom by her great-aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her partner Carl Manning (pictured)Marie-Therese Kouao (left), Victoria Climbié’s great-aunt, was complicit in her murder
Her great-aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her partner Carl Manning were jailed for life in 2001, convicted of murder and child cruelty.
The case was followed by a major public enquiry under Lord Laming which, in turn led to an overhaul of child protection measures in the UK, including the landmark 2004 Children Act.
Even now, ritual violence receives all-too-little attention, says Lancaster University’s Professor Charlotte Baker, who is co-director of the International Network Against Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks.
‘If you spoke to many people about this issue, they’d think it was something from about 1,400 years ago,’ she told The Daily Mail last week.
‘Many schoolteachers might feel they shouldn’t ‘go there’, if they suspect something is taking place because they’re not comfortable handling such issues.
‘This needs to be treated seriously, disclosures need to be treated seriously – and the right questions need to be asked.
‘The UK must improve and make sure that anyone who does speak up to make disclosures about this abuse being carried out are taken seriously and responded to professionally.’
Former Conservative MP Tim Loughton, children’s minister in David Cameron’s coalition government and later chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, had his own experience of trying to combat ritual abuse.
Victoria’s parents Berthe and Francis are pictured at her grave in Kensal Rise Crematorium in London, along with daughter Joelle, in 2003 on the third anniversary of Victoria’s deathA boy named Adam’s head, arms and legs were removed in what detectives believe was a ritual ‘muti’ killing – his torso was discovered in the River Thames near Tower Bridge in 2001
‘The particular problem [at the time] was among communities of migrants from places such as the Congo, which were very closed communities, mostly but not exclusively in London, with very evangelical Christian church settings,’ he recalls.
‘There were very strange practices, all connected with voodoo – abusing children in attempts to drive the devil out of them and all this sort of nonsense.’
During his time in office, he launched a task force on faith-based child abuse, but he fears that official attention has now slipped.
Rohma Ullah, director of the National FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) Centre – which also tackles what it refers to as witchcraft and spirit possession abuse – is among those who believe frontline staff are wary of raising the alarm.
‘Witchcraft and spirit possession are among the most poorly understood areas in child protection,’ she says. ‘That’s really concerning and alarming. We know the data is not good enough and that professionals don’t know how to act. They don’t know what to do.
‘Professionals are anxious about discussing someone’s faith or beliefs because it’s very personal.
‘They fear being accused of being racist, for example – and so questions don’t get asked and opportunities get missed.’
She says that teachers as well as social workers should be alert to signs of abuse – such as, for example, a child appearing tired through having to pray all night to be rid of a devil inside them, or losing weight because food is being withheld at home.
15-year-old Kristy Bamu was beaten and drowned on Christmas Day 2010 by his sister and her boyfriend in east London after being accused of being a witchFollowing the murder, Magalie Bamu (left) and Eric Bikubi (right) were jailed for life
‘I would say the situation is fragmented,’ she continues. ‘Social workers are skilled in safeguarding, teachers are skilled in educating, police officers are skilling in preventing and addressing crime – but they also need to be equipped with specialist knowledge on this particular issue.’
Ms Ullah suggests the current figures, disturbing as they are, ‘probably don’t reflect the true prevalence of something that’s very hidden.’
She believes allegations of witchcraft and spirit possession receive too little attention when abusers to court and suggests they should be flagged as aggravating features when the perpetrators are sentenced.
And witchcraft has now been included for the first time in new toughened-up Crown Prosecution Guidance, published today in a bid to tackle ‘honour’-based abuse, forced marriage and other abuses.
Newly included in guidance for prosecutors are practices such as dowry abuse, immigration-related exploitation, transnational marriage abandonment and spiritual or ritualistic abuse linked to beliefs in witchcraft, spirit possession or demonic influence.
While there is no standalone withcraft-related offence, the Home Office said: ‘Prosecutors must treat these cases as serious criminality within the wider context of harmful practices and “honour”-based abuse, assessing which offences may apply on a case-by-case basis.’
Baljit Ubhey, CPS director of policy, said: ‘Our updated guidance equips prosecutors to identify emerging patterns of abuse, understand the wider context in which it occurs, and take swift, effective action to safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.’
It is not as if we haven’t been warned. It is more than a decade since the United Nations reported: ‘Hundreds of children have been abducted from their families in Africa and trafficked to the UK, especially London. Many are raped and sexually abused.’
Commenting in The Mail on Sunday at the time, Dr Hoskins went further, arguing that ‘London has become the hub, the epicentre for a global trafficking enterprise involving thousands of children for exploitation, sexual abuse and even, in some unspeakable cases, ritual voodoo killing…’
‘There is a vast reservoir of lost children gathering in our own capital anonymously shuffled from flat to shabby flat – a dark pool feeding child exploitation and misery across the planet.’
Today’s evidence suggests that, chillingly, this terrible picture might now be darker still.
It’s impressive how the police uncovered everything, but it never led to a rial. The perpetrators went unpunished. A painful thought. (webmaster FVDK)
The photo Joyce Osagiede claimed to be Adam (Image: PA)
Mystery of boy’s torso found in Thames after ‘voodoo ritual’ remains decades later
Published: September 7, 2025 By: Saskia Rowlands – The Mirror, UK
More than two decades since little Adam’s torso was discovered in the river Thames, police are no closer to finding the boy’s killer after he was slaughtered in a horrific “voodoo ritual”
The child’s torso was dressed in orange shorts (Image: PA)
The torso of a little boy from Africa was found in London’s river Thames over two decades ago – but his killer is still on the loose.
An investigation found the youngster, aged between four and seven, was smuggled into Britain and slaughtered as part of a horrific voodoo ritual. Tests proved he had been plied with a powerful potion of gold dust and quartz, drugged into paralysis with a type of African bean and had his throat slit.
But despite several arrests and forensic breakthroughs over the years, nobody has been brought to justice for the horrific crime. As the 24th anniversary of the horror approaches, we take a fresh look at the evidence and how the story unfolded.
Officers recovered the body upstream (Image: SWNS)
The discovery
On September 21 2001, IT consultant Aidan Minter was walking across London’s Tower Bridge when he caught sight of something floating in the water. It was just 10 days after the 9/11 attacks in the US and the city was still strangely quiet.
At first, Aidan thought it was a shop mannequin with a red cloth attached to it. But as the object passed under the bridge and out the other side, he realised he was in fact staring at a headless child.
It’s a memory Aidan lives with to this day. He said during an interview in 2020: “I do think about him – I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.” Police pulled the body from the water upstream, close to the Globe Theatre, later that day. They named him Adam.
Aidan Minter spotted the torso in the river (Image: BBC NEWS)
The first week
Early investigations suggested Adam’s body may have been in the water for as long as 10 days. Police conclude he died from having his throat slit. His arms, legs and head had all been expertly amputated. The body parts have never been found.
There were no signs of physical or sexual abuse, and he had been well fed. He was wearing nothing but a pair of orange shorts – something which later gave officers their first breakthrough. The label indicated they were made by firm Kids & Company and the size and colour could only be found in a small number of shops in Germany.
Detective sergeant Nick Chalmers was one of the police officers assigned to the case and says it was the strangest and most complex of his career. He added: “You definitely have a tie to a case, and there’s this drive to find answers. The one thing that has lingered is the frustration that we didn’t find all the answers.”
Retired detective Nick Chalmers worked on the investigation (Image: BBC NEWS)
African connection
Tests showed Adam had lived in Africa until shortly before his death. Because his body had been precisely butchered, experts decided it had been a ritualistic murder.
Some thought it was a rare so-called “muti” killing found in southern Africa – when a victim’s body parts are removed and used by witchdoctors. Others said it was more likely a human sacrifice linked to a twisted version of Yoruban belief systems from Nigeria.
Nelson Mandela later made an impassioned plea to the African public for help, saying: “The boy comes from somewhere in Africa, so if anywhere, even in the remotest village of our continent, there is a family missing a son of that age who might have disappeared around that time please contact the police.”
Nelson Mandela made an impassioned plea (Image: Mirrorpix)
Breakthrough
In July 2002, social workers in Glasgow became concerned for the safety of two girls living with their mum, an African woman named Joyce Osagiede. Council workers found bizarre, ritualistic objects in her home. And at a court hearing to take the children into care, Joyce told an alarming story of cults, killings and sacrifices.
Joyce Osagiede was considered a key witness (Image: BBC NEWS)
DS Nick Chalmers searched her home and found clothes with the same Kids & Company label and in the same sizes as Adam’s orange shorts. Joyce is arrested.
Officers were convinced Joyce was an important part of the story, but she was confused and kept changing her account. She denied knowing Adam, but was unable to explain the extraordinary coincidence about the shorts. Officers lacked enough evidence to charge Joyce. She remained in Glasgow awaiting an asylum decision.
The shorts were from a brand called Kids and Company (Image: SWNS)
September – November 2002
Forensic work narrowed down Adam’s birthplace to land near Benin City in Nigeria, which is Joyce’s home city. Pollen samples in his gut showed he had been living in the south-east of England for a few days or weeks before his death. Also in his stomach was an unusual substance made of African river clay – including vegetation, ground bone and traces of gold and quartz. The presence of ash showed the mixture had been burned before Adam ate it.
In November, Joyce was deported after the Home Office rejected her asylum application. She vanishes after landing in Lagos. Afterwards, German police say she lived in Hamburg until late 2001, which is the city where Adam’s shorts were purchased.
July – October 2003
A man named Kingsley Ojo is arrested as part of several human trafficking raids in London. Police discovered he was one of two contacts on Joyce’s phone. And during a search of his house, officers find an animal skull pierced with a nail, liquid potions, packets of sand and a videotape labelled ‘rituals’ which showed an adult being beheaded.
Kingsley Ojo was jailed with four charges of people smuggling and using fake documents (Image: PA)
Meanwhile, botanists at London’s Kew Gardens analysed samples of a plant found in Adam’s gut and discovered he was fed small amounts of Calabar bean, sometimes known as the Doomsday, and used in witchcraft ceremonies in West Africa. The dosage found would have paralysed Adam but not prevented any pain. Ground up seeds from the Datura plant, which acts as a sedative and causes hallucinations, were also found.
Traces of so-called Doomesday seeds were found in Adam’s stomach (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
July – December 2004
Kingsley Ojo was jailed with four charges of people smuggling and using fake documents to obtain a passport and driving licence. He was said to have performed ‘juju’ ceremonies for other inmates behind bars.
An inquest into Adam’s death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, hearing that he died from neck wounds suffered while he was still alive.
Adam was laid to rest in an unmarked grave( Image: BBC NEWS)
2005 – 2008
Kingsley Ojo offered to help the team investigating Adam’s death and claims he has secret recordings of Joyce. While awaiting deportation, he convinced officers he could help and spent two years feeding them information.
In December 2006, Adam’s body was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in a London cemetery. And two years later, Ojo is deported back to Nigeria after detectives decide they can’t rely on him.
In Nigeria, Joyce Osagiede finally admits she looked after Adam when she had lived in Hamburg in northern Germany and bought the orange shorts found on his body. A social worker assessing benefit claims later says she met Joyce on several occasions when she was in Hamburg and remembers seeing her with a small boy who she believes was Adam.
March 2011 – 2012
Joyce Osagiede claimed a photo found among her belongings in Germany was of Adam. She said his real name was Ikpomwosa and that she had looked after the boy, but gave him to a man called Bawa.
The following year, Joyce’s brother Victor said the boy in the photo was not Adam, claiming it was a misunderstanding. The BBC later met with Victor and Joyce who said the boy in the image was actually called Danny – who was later tracked down in Hamburg.
Joyce then suggests Adam was called Patrick Erhabor. She later identifies the man Bawa as trafficker Kingsley Ojo. Ojo continues to deny links to Adam’s killing and no evidence of his involvement is found.
The photo Joyce claimed to be Adam(Image: PA)
September 2021 – present
The Met Police launch a fresh appeal to find Adam’s killer to mark the 20 year anniversary of his body being found. The previous year, Joyce’s brother Victor revealed Joyce had died.
Aidan Minter, who spotted the body in the river, was diagnosed with acute post-traumatic stress disorder. He says he felt utterly helpless, knowing his discovery was somebody’s son.
For retired detective Nick Chalmers, the lack of answers is deeply frustrating. He said: “This was an innocent young child. There are people responsible for his death who haven’t been brought to justice. Twenty years on, I wish we knew the identity of Adam – and his parents. In reality, he is a missing child from a family, who probably don’t know he’s buried here in London.”
The current site presents little news about ritual practices, including ritual murders (“muti murders”) in Mozambique, mainly due to a bias in my research, which focuses primarily on Anglophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Warning: I have included the last news article below (implicating Peter “Cool Dud” Muparutsa (66) of the RUNN Family fame, who has found himself at the centre of a storm after being accused by some relatives of the ritual murder of a Mozambican woman for fame during his hey days in music – for illustrative purposes: to indicate that ritualistic practices are not an unknown phenomenon in Mozambique – and would like to emphasize that inclusion in no way implies that I endorse the accusation. (webmaster FVDK)
‘Undocumented’ Mozambican sangoma in court over possession of human tissue
A Mozambican traditional healer, 26, Aizeque Zacaria Cumbuia, appeared in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates’ Court on Friday, for possession of human body parts.
Published: August 22, 2025 By: Mbalenhle Zuma – Sunday World (South Africa)
A 26-year-old Mozambican traditional healer, Aizeque Zacaria Cumbuia, appeared in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court on Friday, charged with possession of human tissue.
The discovery was made on August 7 during a police investigation into a gruesome murder in Brits. A female victim was killed, her body parts removed, and her remains burned.
“We were horrified to find human tissue in the suspect’s possession,” said a police spokesperson, underscoring the gravity of the case.
Found with murder victim’s body parts
Cumbuia was allegedly found with human tissue in a room where he practised as a sangoma (traditional healer).
“The evidence was uncovered during a thorough search linked to the Brits murder investigation,” the spokesperson added.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Cumbuia may also face charges of kidnapping, murder, defiling a corpse, and violating South Africa’s Immigration Act, as he is suspected of being in the country illegally.
The murder is linked to the 2023 killing of 20-year-old Gontse Makhubela. Her organs were allegedly found in Cumbuia’s possession.
During his arrest he was found in possession of human remains believed to be that of Makhubela, 20.
The young woman was allegedly lured by another man, Serame Moroke. The instruction allegedly came from Cumbuia, for Makhubela to be killed for ritual purposes.
Victim lured from shop by ‘client’
Makhubela was establishing her post-matric life when she was brutally murdered.
She was working as an intern at a furniture shop. Her assailants, posing as potential clients at the shop, lured her to her death.
Two other suspects, including another Mozambican traditional healer, have been arrested.
In court, the case was postponed to August 28, 2025, for a formal bail application. The state has, however, voiced out that they plan to oppose Cumbuia’s bail.
A prosecutor stated: “The severity of these crimes and the ongoing investigation demand that the accused remain in custody.”
Traditional healer in court for possession of human tissue linked to murder investigation
Aizeque Zacaria Cumbuia (26) a traditional healer from Mozambique appeared at the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates’ Court. He is facing a charge of possession of human tissue
Published: August 22, 2025 By: IOL (South Africa)
Aizeque Zacaria Cumbuia, a 26-year-old traditional healer from Mozambique, made a brief appearance at the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates’ Court, facing a serious charge of possession of human tissue.
The allegations against Cumbuia emerged from police operations that were initially focused on a separate murder case, according to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana.
She explained that police discovered evidence on August 7, when they found human tissue within the premises where Cumbuia practiced his traditional healing.
“This was discovered by police officers when they were conducting investigations in relation to a Brits murder case, where a deceased female was killed, body parts removed, and her body burned,” Mahanjana said.
Police have stepped up their efforts to trace the circumstances surrounding the crime, and Cumbuia’s alleged involvement has only intensified their inquiries.
During the court proceedings, the magistrate heard that the state intends to oppose any application for bail, arguing that Cumbuia’s release could pose significant risks to the ongoing investigation and the safety of the community.
The matter has been postponed until August 28 August when Cumbuia is expected to make a formal bail application.
Case of a Mozambican traditional healer accused of ritual murder postponed (YouTube)
Screenshot – to listen to the report, please click here
Published: August 22, 2025 By: SABC News – South Africa
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is confident of a successful prosecution in the trial of a Mozambican national found in possession of human remains believed to be that of a murdered 20-year-old woman. 26-year-old Isaac Shikomboya’s arrest follows that of two other people who were apprehended after being found in possession of the slain victim’s cellphone. The two men led the police to Shikomboya. The case has been postponed to Thursday next week for a bail application.
Warning: I have included the news article below for illustrative purposes – to indicate that ritualistic practices are not an unknown phenomenon in Mozambique – and would like to emphasize that inclusion in no way implies that I endorse the accusation. (webmaster FVDK)
Weekender Reporter VETERAN producer and musician, Peter “Cool Dud” Muparutsa (66) of the RUNN Family fame, has found himself at the centre of a storm after being accused by some relatives of the ritual murder of a Mozambican woman for fame during his hey days in music.
The explosive allegations were thrown at the ageing producer by his grandnephew — Macdonald Nyamajiya — who claimed that Muparutsa later married him and his two brothers off to the slain woman’s blood-thirsty avenging spirit.
He alleged that the woman’s restless ghost has been haunting their family.
The matter was heard before Chief Mutasa’s community court recently after Muparutsa had reported Nyamajiya, accusing him of tormenting him through the “frivolous” allegations.
Muparutsa produced before the court a tirade of text messages, in which Nyamajiya accused him of being a heartless murderer and ritualist, who had destroyed his family.
“If you are free, come to Dangamvura today so that we see each other face-to-face. You know your stories or give me an address of where you stay so that I come there myself.
“Let us not meet in the spirit, but let us meet during daylight, enough is enough,” reads one of his text messages.
Another message, dripping with rage, reads: “I am not afraid of you, you are not God. Personally, it is now boring me because you are responsible for our suffering, so we have to meet. There shall come a time where we will be assaulting each other and striking each other with axes.
“I do not want a grandfather who makes me his scapegoat. What you have done is enough. If you do anything to me, know that you and your family will perish. Play your guitar at church later after you have finished appeasing this spirit,” he charged.
Startled by the venom, Muparutsa confirmed the accusations.
“I am being accused by my older brother’s daughter’s son of wizardry, possessing goblins, and causing all the mishaps in their family. I was shocked when I went through his text messages,” he said.
In response, Nyamajiya told the court that he had written the offensive messages out of deep pain.
“My late mother was a Muparutsa and my father hails from Bocha. However, I grew up within the Muparutsa family and use their surname.
Growing up, we were told that he (Peter) has goblins, and that he was being haunted by an avenging spirit because he killed someone in Mozambique.
“In April, the spirit started manifesting on my younger brother and we consulted healers, who told us that our grandfather, Peter, was responsible for it.
“My brother acted as if he was paralysed and would shout Peter’s name. It is still happening up to now,” he alleged. He further claimed that the spirit insisted that he and his two brothers were spiritually ‘wedded’ to a female goblin by the musician.
“It is said that he killed a woman of the Tembo Clan, and is the one whose spirit we were married to. She was from Mozambique.
“The woman claims she was killed for rituals to enhance his musical fame. Every healer we consulted pointed an accusing finger at him,” said Nyamajiya.
Another family member, Bridget Muparutsa, weighed in, saying the allegations have haunted them for generations.
“We heard about it as we grew up. We would get married and come back home widowed because our husbands would have died. We wanted to be here with the rest of the family, but in the process of taking the matter to Headman Muparutsa, Peter brought the case before this court,” she said.
The matter took an unexpected turn after Chief Mutasa ruled that Nyamajiya had no right to sue Peter.
“Macdonald, you are not a Muparutsa, it is your mother, who was a Muparutsa. If a Muparutsa killed someone, it is not possible for the avenging spirit to torment you because you are not a member of the Muparutsa family by blood.
You cannot come here accusing your uncle because you are not a Muparutsa. His family should report him, and not you,” warned Chief Mutasa.
He further warned Nyamajiya against being dragged in his uncles’ family feuds.
“Do not be too convinced of what you are hearing — what if it is someone else that is using his face? Do not be used to fight battles that are not yours. Let the Muparutsa family approach my court to sue him, not you. I am not favouring anyone in this matter, but we need to help you guys,” said Chief Mutasa.
Nyamajiya was fined a beast for disrespecting his uncle.
“You were disrespectful. For that, you must pay him a beast. You cannot challenge an elder in this manner,” he ruled.
Chief Mutasa also ordered the Muparutsa family to unite and consult traditional healers together to settle the matter.
Witchcraft accusations are not uncommon in Liberia – nor in other African countries, as can be read in my recent post of August 18 and older posts.
I’ve commented in older posts on the outdated practice of witchcraft accusations and related maltreatment, sassywood practices (trial by ordeal) and mob justice. For briefness sake I present here some of my earlier posts on this subject. The reader is warned that some graphic details may be shocking.
Accusations of witchcraft are not limited to a particular area, county, town, village or tribe, as the following lists shows. Moreover, it must be emphasized that reported cases are usually the tip of an iceberg. It must be feared that many cases remain unreported.
The victim is a 25-year-old mason, Nelson Anyena, who has been killed in what investigators describe as a ritual murder in Mafi Adidome, Central Tongu District. During an exhumation exercise at a fetish priest’s shrine on July 7, 2025, investigators reportedly discovered two additional unidentified bodies buried at the same location. However, according to other (non-confirmed) reports, police discovered three additional skeletons buried under other idols, as well as scattered body parts in nearby bushes.
In all, six suspects including the fetish priest were arrested.
The horrifying murder case has been widely covered in the media.
Ghana’s Volta Region is one of the country’s sixteen administrative regions. Its capital is the city of Ho. It is located between Lake Volta in the west and the Republic of Togo in the east. (FVDK)
Warning: The following articles contain graphic details which may upset readers (FVDK)
Lady lures man with romantic encounter only to kill him for rituals
Published: July 14, 2025 By: Armani Brooklyn – GhPage, Ghana
The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested six individuals linked to the murder of 25-year-old mason, Nelson Anyena, in what police describe as a suspected ritual killing.
The incident occurred in December 2024 after Anyena, who had moved from Wusuta to Mafi-Adidome to join his wife, was lured into a trap by Augustina Fiawoyife under the pretence of a romantic meeting.
He was later strangled by two men identified as Wisdom Hedidor and Courage Bedzo.
His body was allegedly sold to a fetish priest for GH¢7,000.
The suspects arrested include:
Augustina Fiawoyife
Wisdom Hedidor
Courage Bedzo
Noah Gblor (fetish priest)
Yohannes Gblor (security guard)
John Gblor (lotto writer)
The breakthrough came following police investigations, leading to the exhumation of Anyena’s body at Noah Gblor’s shrine on July 7, 2025. Two other unidentified bodies were also found at the site.
All six suspects are currently in police custody and have been remanded. They are expected to reappear in court on August 8, 2025.
Police have transported the recovered bodies to the Police Hospital Mortuary in Accra for autopsy and DNA analysis. Authorities say more arrests may follow as the investigation deepens.
The Volta Regional Police Command has assured the public, especially the bereaved family and residents of Adidome, that justice will be served.
Man lured by woman, 21, for romantic encounter and killed for ritual
Published: July 13, 2025 By: Peace FM Online – Ghana
The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested six individuals in connection with the gruesome murder of Nelson Anyena, a 25-year-old mason. The arrests took place in Blorkorfe and Awakpedome, both suburbs of Adidome in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region.
Police investigations revealed that the victim, who had moved from Wusuta to Mafi-Adidome in December 2024 to join his wife, was lured into a deadly trap involving a female accomplice and a fetish priest.
According to a police statement, the suspects include Augustina Fiawoyife, believed to have enticed the victim under the guise of a romantic encounter, as well as Wisdom Hedidor and Courage Bedzo, who allegedly carried out the killing.
The police have also identified the spiritual leader involved as Noah Gblor, a fetish priest, along with Yohannes Gblor, a security guard, and John Gblor, a lotto writer.
Preliminary findings indicate that on 4 December 2024, Fiawoyife lured Anyena to a remote location through a phone call. Once there, Hedidor and Bedzo reportedly strangled him and handed his body over to the fetish priest in exchange for GH¢7,000.
The crime came to light following detailed police investigations and the subsequent arrest of the suspects.
During an exhumation exercise at Noah Gblor’s shrine on 7 July 2025, investigators discovered two additional unidentified bodies buried at the same location.
Police confirmed the recovery of the bodies, which have been transported to the Police Hospital Mortuary in Accra for autopsy and DNA analysis.
All six suspects are currently in police custody and have been remanded. They are scheduled to reappear in court on 8 August 2025 as investigations continue. Authorities say further arrests are possible as they work to uncover the full extent of the criminal network behind the murder.
The Volta Regional Police Command praised the cooperation of the local community and appealed for calm among residents and the family of the deceased. The police assured the public that justice would be pursued rigorously in this alarming case.
The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested six individuals in connection with a suspected ritual killing of a 25-year-old mason, Nelson Anyena, at Mafi Adidome in the Central Tongu District of the Volta region.
According to a statement signed by Chief Inspector Francis Kwaku Gomado, Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Volta Regional Police Command, the deceased had relocated from his hometown, Wusuta in the South Dayi District, to live with his wife at Mafi Adidome in December 2024.
Following weeks of covert investigations and collaboration with local residents, the police apprehended the first three suspects on 26th June 2025.
They include 21-year-old Augustina Fiawoyife, an unemployed woman; 31-year-old herbalist Wisdom Hedidor; and Courage Bedzo, also known as Dzidefo, a 31-year-old Kente weaver.
Further investigations led to the arrest of three additional suspects: Gblor Noah, also known as Ekpedzi, a 42-year-old fetish priest; his brother Yohannes Gblor, aged 27 and employed as a security guard; and John Gblor, aged 40, a lotto writer.
The three were arrested at Mafi Awakpedome.
Preliminary findings indicate that on 4th December 2024, Augustina, acting on instructions from her boyfriend, Wisdom Hedidor, lured Nelson Anyena to a secluded location under the pretext of a romantic meeting.
There, Hedidor and Courage Bedzo allegedly ambushed and strangled him (the deceased).
Investigators believe the suspects carried out the killing on behalf of fetish priest Gblor Noah, who had earlier approached them requesting a human body for ritual purposes in exchange for a fee.
After the act, Noah and his brothers allegedly paid GH¢7,000 to the two attackers and transported the body to a shrine at Blorkope.
On 3rd July 2025, police secured an exhumation order from the Ho Magistrate Court and, on 7 July, retrieved the victim’s body from beneath Noah Gblor’s shrine.
The exercise, led by Volta Regional Crime Officer Superintendent Mr Omari Mic Boakye and supported by Environmental Health Officers from the Ho Municipality, also uncovered two additional unidentified bodies buried at the site.
The remains have been transferred to the Police Hospital Mortuary in Accra for preservation, autopsy, and DNA profiling.
All six suspects are currently in police and prison custody and are expected to appear in court on 8th August 2025.
The Volta Regional Police Command has expressed appreciation for the public’s cooperation and has called on the family and community members to remain calm as investigations proceed.
Ritual murder: Six arrested over death of 25-year-old mason
Published: July 10, 2025 By: Caroaryee – MyNewsGh.com
A 25-year-old mason, Nelson Anyena, has been killed in what investigators describe as a ritual murder in Mafi Adidome, Central Tongu District.
His body was found buried beneath a shrine after weeks of investigation.
Nelson, who had recently moved from Wusuta to live with his wife in Mafi Adidome, was reportedly lured by a young woman, Augustina Fiawoyife, under the pretext of a private meeting.
According to police findings, she acted on instructions from her boyfriend, Wisdom Hedidor, a herbalist.
Together with Courage Bedzo, a kente weaver, they allegedly ambushed Nelson and strangled him to death.
Investigations revealed that the act was carried out for a fetish priest, Gblor Noah, who had promised payment in return for a human body to use for rituals.
After the killing, the priest and his brothers allegedly paid GH¢7,000 and moved the body to a shrine located at Blorkope.
Three suspects—Fiawoyife, Hedidor, and Bedzo—were arrested on June 26, 2025.
This led to further arrests: 42-year-old fetish priest Noah Gblor, his 27-year-old brother Yohannes Gblor, and 40-year-old John Gblor, a lotto writer.
On July 3, the police secured a court order to exhume the body.
During the operation on July 4, not only was Nelson’s body recovered, but two additional unidentified bodies were also discovered buried at the same location.
All the remains have been transferred to the Police Hospital in Accra for autopsy and DNA analysis.
The suspects remain in custody and are expected to reappear in court on August 8, 2025. The police have called for public calm as investigations continue.
The Central Tongu MP, Alexander Roosevelt Hotordze, and Dodzi Addison Mornyuie, the District Chief Executive, have condemned the discovery of human remains at a shrine in Mafi Gblorkope.
They described the incident as a “barbaric and inhumane act” that has shaken the conscience of the entire enclave.
They made the remarks during a visit to the crime scene on Tuesday, July 8, following a police-led operation that triggered the exhumation of multiple human remains, including the skeletal body of a 28-year-old Nelson Anyana believed to have been murdered for ritual purposes.
Mr Hotordze disclosed to the Ghana News Agency that such acts had no place in the society, and assured the people of Central Tongu that his office in collaboration with the district assembly would not rest until every person involved in the heinous crime was identified, apprehended, and made to face the full rigours of the law.
“This is a horrifying and deeply troubling development,” he added.
He emphasised that justice must be delivered swiftly, not only to honour the memory of the victims but also to restore a sense of security among residents.
“I have tasked the security services to deepen their investigations and act decisively. This is not just about one life lost; it is about safeguarding the moral fabric and peace of our community,” he said.
The MP urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security personnel, noting that the ongoing investigations were being treated with the utmost seriousness.
Mr. Addison Dodzi Mornyuie also condemned the incident, describing it as “a stain on the conscience of the district” and a clear affront to human dignity and the rule of law.
He called on traditional leaders and local residents to remain vigilant and proactive in reporting suspicious activities, stressing that such heinous acts often thrived in silence and secrecy.
“We must build a community where no one is afraid to speak up and where evil is not allowed to hide under cultural or religious cover,” the DCE stated.
Mr. Mornyuie further assured the public of the Assembly’s full collaboration with the security agencies to bring all perpetrators to justice.
He reiterated that no one would be spared, regardless of social status or influence, and that the Assembly would intensify its community engagement and sensitisation efforts to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service and the National Intelligence Bureau had confirmed to the GNA that three other suspects were in custody.
They said forensic investigations were underway to identify the additional remains and determine the full scale of the crimes committed.
Authorities have encouraged members of the public to volunteer any relevant information that may assist in the ongoing probe.
The suspects. INSET: One of the suspects with human bones
Published: July 10, 2025 By: Daniel K. Orlando, Ho – Daily Guide Network
A suspected ritual killing syndicate has been busted by the Ghana Police Service following the discovery of several human remains at a shrine in Gblorkope, Central Tongu District in the Volta Region.
The breakthrough came after months of investigations triggered by a missing person’s report filed on December 17, 2024, by Madam Comfort Hatse, a trader from Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region.
She reported that her son, Nelson Anyana, 28, had left home on December 4, 2024, to meet one Augustina Fiawoyife at Mafi-Adidome and never returned.
Detectives later uncovered a gruesome conspiracy involving Fiawoyife, who was romantically involved with a herbalist, Wisdom Hedidor. The police say Hedidor, consumed by jealousy over Fiawoyife’s continued contact with Nelson, allegedly plotted to murder him for ritual purposes.
Investigations revealed that a local fetish priest, Gblor Noah, popularly known as Ekpedzi, had earlier requested a human body for ritual rites, promising a GH¢7,000 payment. Courage Bedzo, a kente weaver, reportedly relayed this request to Hedidor, who agreed to carry out the act.
On December 12, 2024, Fiawoyife allegedly lured Nelson to a secluded location near the DC Bungalow area in Adidome. While engaging him in conversation, Hedidor and Bedzo emerged and strangled him to death. Fiawoyife reportedly watched the killing without raising any alarm.
The body was subsequently sold to the fetish priest, who was accompanied by his brother, Gblor Yohannes, a lotto writer. The remains were transported to the Gblorkope shrine and buried beneath an idol after performing rituals.
Upon arrest and interrogation, the suspects led investigators to the shrine where Nelson’s remains were exhumed. Police also discovered three additional skeletons buried under other idols, as well as scattered body parts in nearby bushes, raising suspicions of serial killings.
Six suspects have since been arrested. They include Augustina Fiawoyife, unemployed, Wisdom Hedidor, herbalist, Courage Bedzo, kente weaver, Gblor Noah alias Ekpedzi, fetish priest, Gblor John, security guard, and Gblor Yohannes, lotto writer.
All six are residents of Mafi-Adidome and reportedly related to the operators of the shrine.
The suspects were arraigned before the Ho District Court 1 on July 2, 2025, presided over by His Worship Albert Annor Owusu. Prosecutor, Detective Sergeant Kwadwo Otibu-Gyan, informed the court that investigations are still underway, particularly efforts to identify and exhume all remains linked to the case.
The court did not take the suspects’ pleas and remanded them into prison custody to reappear on August 6, 2025.
The disturbing revelations have sent shockwaves through the Volta Region, with residents demanding swift justice and a clampdown on ritual activities in the area.
The Ghana Police Service has assured the public of its resolve to fully pursue the case and bring all perpetrators to book. Authorities are also appealing to the public for information that could aid ongoing investigations.
Forensic experts are currently working to identify the additional victims, as police probe the possibility of more bodies linked to the shrine.
Six nabbed over alleged ritual murder at Mafi Adidome
Published: July 10, 2025 By: Adom Online
The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested six individuals in connection with the suspected ritual killing of a 25-year-old mason, Nelson Anyena, at Mafi Adidome in the Central Tongu District.
According to police, three suspects were initially arrested on June 26, 2025, following weeks of covert investigations and collaboration with residents.
The suspects are 21-year-old unemployed woman Augustina Fiawoyife; 31-year-old herbalist Wisdom Hedidor; and 31-year-old Kente weaver Courage Bedzo, also known as Dzidefo.
Further investigations led to the arrest of three additional suspects: – Gblor Noah, also known as Ekpedzi, a 42-year-old fetish priest – Yohannes Gblor, a 27-year-old security guard and brother of Noah – John Gblor, a 40-year-old lotto writer at Mafi Awakpedome.
A statement signed by the Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Regional Command, Chief Inspector Francis Kwaku Gomado, revealed that the deceased relocated from Wusuta in the South Dayi District to live with his wife at Mafi Adidome in December 2024.
On December 4, 2024, Augustina, acting on instructions from her boyfriend, Wisdom Hedidor, allegedly lured Nelson Anyena to a secluded location under the pretext of a romantic meeting.
There, Hedidor and Courage Bedzo reportedly ambushed and strangled him to death—an act police investigators believe was carried out on behalf of fetish priest Gblor Noah, who had earlier requested a human body for ritual purposes in exchange for a fee.
After the killing, Noah and his brothers allegedly paid GH¢7,000 to the attackers and transported Nelson’s body to a shrine at Blorkope.
On July 3, 2025, police secured an order from the Ho Magistrate Court and, the following day, exhumed Nelson’s body from beneath Noah Gblor’s shrine.
The exercise, led by Volta Regional Crime Officer Superintendent Omari Mic Boakye and supported by Environmental Health Officers from the Ho Municipality, also uncovered two additional unidentified bodies buried at the site.
All the remains have been transferred to the Police Hospital Mortuary in Accra for preservation, autopsy, and DNA profiling.
The suspects are currently in police and prison custody and are expected to reappear in court on August 8, 2025.
Meanwhile, the Volta Regional Police Command has expressed appreciation for the public’s cooperation and has called on the family and community members to remain calm as investigations continue.
Six arrested over ritual killing of 23-year-old in Mafi-Adidome; body exhumed by police
Published: July 9, 2025 By: Abigail Teye – Asaseeradio Ghana
The deceased, a resident of Mafi-Adidome, was reported missing on 17 December 2024 by his mother, Madam Comfort Hates, after he left home on 4 December to meet a woman identified as Augustina Fiawoyife but never returned.
Six individuals have been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of 23-year-old Nelson Anyana at Mafi-Adidome in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region, in what police describe as a premeditated ritual murder.
The deceased, a resident of Mafi-Adidome, was reported missing on 17 December 2024 by his mother, Comfort Hates, after he left home on 4 December to meet a woman identified as Augustina Fiawoyife but never returned.
Police investigations revealed that Fiawoyife lured Nelson to a secluded area under the pretext of a meeting. She was allegedly acting on instructions from her boyfriend, an herbalist named Wisdom Hedidor, who suspected frequent phone calls between Nelson and Fiawoyife.
Further details uncovered a chilling plot involving a fetish priest, Gblor Noah, who had approached a kente weaver, Courage Bedzo, requesting a human body for ritual purposes in exchange for a reward. Bedzo reportedly relayed the request to Hedidor, who then targeted Nelson as the victim.
On 4 December 2024, Fiawoyife led Nelson to a bushy area near the DC Bungalow at Mafi-Adidome, where Hedidor and Bedzo were hiding. As Nelson engaged in conversation with Fiawoyife, the two men emerged and strangled him.
After the killing, the group contacted Gblor Noah, who arrived at the scene with another accomplice, Gblor John, a lotto writer. The body was transported to Gblorkope in Central Tongu, where ritual rites were allegedly performed. The remaining body parts were then buried in a nearby bush.
The suspects—Fiawoyife, Hedidor, Bedzo, Gblor Noah, and Gblor John—were subsequently arrested. Police say the body was allegedly sold for GHC 7,000 for the ritual.
On 2 July 2025, the case was called at the Ho District Court 1, presided over by His Worship Albert Annor Owusu. All suspects appeared without legal representation. Prosecuting, Detective Sergeant Kwadwo Otibu-Gyan told the court investigations were ongoing, especially efforts to locate and exhume the remaining body parts.
The exhumation was carried out on 7 July 2025, with re-interment expected.
The suspects’ pleas were not taken, and they were remanded into prison custody to reappear on 6 August 2025.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the Central Tongu District, with residents calling for swift justice and stronger action against ritual-related crimes. Police investigations are ongoing.
Reporting by Solomon Mensah-Ahiable for Asaase News in the Volta Region
The Homicide Unit of the Ghana Police Service has made a major breakthrough in a suspected ritual murder case involving the disappearance of 28-year-old Nelson Anyana.
An intensive investigation led to the discovery and exhumation of multiple human remains buried within a shrine at Gblorkope, located in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region.
This operation follows a report filed by Comfort Hatse, the mother of the deceased, who informed police that her son had gone missing on December 4, 2024, after leaving home to meet a woman named Augustina Fiawoyife. He was officially declared missing on December 17.
Working with three key suspects, homicide detectives from the Volta Regional Police Command searched a property believed to be used for ritualistic practices.
The team exhumed Nelson Anyana’s body, buried beneath idols at the Gblorkope shrine, confirming suspicions of ritual murder.
The police further uncovered three additional human skeletal remains buried under separate idols at the same location.
Additional human body parts, believed to belong to other victims, were also discovered buried in surrounding bushes, raising fears that the site may have been a hub for serial ritual killings.
Six individuals have since been arrested and arraigned in connection with the murder.
The suspects include:
Augustina Fiawoyife, unemployed
Wisdom Hedidor, herbalist
Courage Bedzo, kente weaver
Gblor Noah, alias Ekpedzi, 37, fetish priest
Gblor John, 38, security guard
Gblor Johannes, 27, lotto writer
The last three, all brothers, are believed to operate the Gblorkope shrine.
According to the police, the murder was orchestrated by Wisdom Hedidor, who had reportedly grown jealous of the deceased’s relationship with Augustina, his romantic partner.
Investigations reveal that around the same period, fetish priest Gblor Noah allegedly requested a human body for ritual purposes in exchange for payment.
Courage Bedzo is said to have relayed the request to Hedidor, who agreed to carry out the killing.
On December 12, 2024, Augustina lured Nelson Anyana to a quiet area in Adidome, where Hedidor and Bedzo ambushed and strangled him, allegedly in the presence of Augustina.
The body was later purchased by the fetish priest and his associate, Gblor Johannes, for GH¢7,000. It was transported to the shrine at Gblorkope, used in ritual practices, and buried under one of the idols.
Following the operation, all six suspects were arraigned before the Ho District Court. They face charges of abetment of crime, to wit, murder, and conspiracy to commit crime, to wit, murder.
Police say forensic analysis is underway to identify the other human remains recovered and to determine if more suspects should be charged.
The shocking discovery has triggered public outrage and fear among residents of the Central Tongu District, with many demanding swift justice and a broader crackdown on suspected ritual networks in the region.
The Ghana Police Service has assured the public of its commitment to fully investigate the case and bring all perpetrators to justice.
Police exhume multiple human remains in Central Tongu shrine
Published: July 9, 2025 By: Adomon Online, From: GNA
The Homicide Unit of the Ghana Police Service has undertaken an operation that uncovered and exhumed multiple human remains buried in a shrine at Gblorkope in the Central Tongu District.
This follows a suspected ritual murder and the disappearance of 28-year-old Nelson Anyana.
The homicide investigation marked a breakthrough in the alleged murder of Nelson, resulting in the discovery of multiple human bones, some buried beneath idols in the shrine.
Six individuals have been arrested and arraigned in connection with the alleged murder of Nelson, who had earlier been declared missing.
The breakthrough came after police detectives from the Homicide Unit in Ho, accompanied by three key suspects, conducted a search of a property believed to have been used for ritual purposes.
The body of Nelson Anyana, who had been missing since December 2024, was exhumed from the Gblorkope shrine, confirming police suspicions of ritual murder.
During the search, police discovered three additional skeletal remains buried beneath different idols at the same location. Assorted human body parts believed to belong to other victims were also found buried in nearby bushes, intensifying suspicions that the site may have been used for serial ritual killings.
The suspects, all residents of Mafi Adidome, are Augustina Fiawoyife, unemployed; Wisdom Hedidor, an herbalist; and Courage Bedzo, a kente weaver.
The others are Gblor Noah, also known as Ekpedzi, a fetish priest aged 37; Gblor John, a 38-year-old security guard; and Gblor Johannes, a 27-year-old lotto writer. The last three, who are siblings, are reported to be operators of the Gblorkope shrine.
According to police investigations, the case began when Comfort Hatse, a trader from Donkorkrom and mother of the deceased, reported him missing on December 17, 2024.
She stated that the deceased had left home on December 4 to meet the first suspect, Augustina Fiawoyife, and never returned.
It was later discovered that Augustina was in a relationship with the second suspect, Wisdom Hedidor, who had grown jealous over her ongoing relationship with the deceased. He allegedly hatched a plan to kill him, which was executed accordingly.
Around that time, the fourth suspect, Gblor Noah, had reportedly solicited a human body for ritual purposes in exchange for a substantial payment.
The third suspect, Courage Bedzo, relayed this request to Hedidor, who agreed to carry out the murder.
On December 12, 2024, Augustina lured the deceased to a secluded area near DC Bungalow, a suburb of Adidome. While the victim engaged her in conversation, Hedidor and Bedzo ambushed and strangled him to death, with Augustina allegedly witnessing the act without intervening.
The third suspect subsequently contacted the fetish priest, who arrived at the scene with the sixth suspect, Gblor Johannes. They bought the deceased’s body for GH¢7,000 and transported it to the shrine at Gblorkope, where it was used in ritual ceremonies before being buried under idols.
Following the recovery of Nelson Anyana’s remains and those of other unidentified individuals, all six suspects were arraigned before a District Court in Ho. They have been charged with abetment of crime to wit murder and conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder.
Police investigators say further forensic analysis is underway based on the new discoveries to determine the identities of the additional victims and file appropriate charges against the suspects.
The discovery has sparked outrage and fear among residents of the Central Tongu District, with many calling for swift justice and a broader investigation into possible ritualistic networks in the region.
The Ghana Police Service has reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing the case thoroughly and ensuring all perpetrators face the full rigours of the law.
Central Tongu: HumanRemains Exhumed From Shrines in Gblorkope
Published: July 9, 2025 By: Peter Atsu ,reviewed by Samuel Gitonga, Yen – Ghana
A quiet Volta village has been rocked by a chilling case of suspected ritual killing after the discovery of human remains
Three brothers, known in the community, are accused of using human remains in shrines
The suspects include a priest, a lottery ticket retailer and a security guard, all linked to a missing young man
A worrying discovery has rocked the quiet village of Gblorkope in the Adidome North electoral area of the Central Tongu District, where police officers in the Volta Regional Police Command have exhumed human remains from shrines.
The remains are allegedly those of individuals murdered and used in ritualistic practices.
Gblorkope rocked by grief as police discover human remains in a shrine. Photo credit: UGC Source: Getty Images
The operation involved three of the six suspects leading authorities to the sites where the remains were found. According to Prosper Ayikpa, the Assembly Member for the area, the remains, including four human skulls, were recovered from two shrines.
“The remains were exhumed from two shrines. The remains were actually used as the foundation upon which deities were moulded in the shrines. In all, four human skulls were exhumed from three shrines with other human parts,” he told YEN.com.gh in an interview, painting a grim picture of the ritualistic practices involved.
Ayikpa expressed his dismay over the incident, confirming that he personally knew the three suspects, who all share the same father. “The suspects are six, but the three that the police came with are indigenes of my electoral area,” Ayikpa stated, adding that “…they are well-known people in the area. They even campaigned for me to become an Assembly Member, so I know them well,” he said.
He also disclosed the professions of the three suspects: “John Gblor is a lotto writer, his brother Yohanes Gblor works as a security guard, and Noah Gblor is the main traditional priest who runs the shrines with the help of his brothers. They all share the same father. They are brothers,” he said.
How Nelson Anyana’s body was found
According to sources close to the investigations, on December 17, 2024, Comfort Hates, a trader residing in Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region, reported to the Adidome Police that her 28-year-old son, Nelson Anyana, had gone missing after leaving home three days earlier to meet one Augustina Fiawoyife.
The Adidome Police Command launched an investigation and arrested Augustina Fiawoyife.
Information disclosed to a local radio station in the Central Tongu Constituency showed that Augustina was the girlfriend of Wisdom Hedidor, a herbalist with whom she lived in Avakpadome, a suburb of Adidome.
Hedidor reportedly became suspicious and warned his girlfriend to stop receiving calls from Nelson, who frequently contacted her. Around the same time, Gblor Noah, the priest, allegedly approached his friend Courage Bedzo, a Kente weaver also residing in Avakpadome, requesting a dead body for ritual purposes in exchange for a ransom.
Courage Bedzo then ostensibly relayed this request to Wisdom Hedidor, who agreed to the plan. Both men allegedly conspired to kill Nelson Anyana, the man who often called Augustina. Investigations allegedly showed that Hedidor convinced his girlfriend to lure Nelson to a secluded location, where he would be killed and offered to the priest for money rituals.
Augustina, Nelson meet at an isolated spot On Wednesday, 4 December 2024, at approximately 7:30 PM, Augustina reportedly instructed Nelson to meet her at an isolated spot near a bungalow.
Unaware of the purported plan, Nelson arrived and began speaking with her.
Moments later, Hedidor and Bedzo emerged from a nearby bush and allegedly strangled Nelson to death.
After the suspected murder, Courage Bedzo allegedly contacted Gblor Noah to inform him that the body was ready.
Gblor Noah, accompanied by his brother John, the lotto writer, reportedly arrived and transported Nelson’s lifeless body to their house in Gblorkope.
Parts of the body were allegedly used in rituals within the shrine, and the remaining human parts were buried in a nearby bush.
Efforts to speak with the Volta Regional Police Crime Officer on the matter have so far been unsuccessful.
The homicide unit of the Ghana Police Service has undertaken an operation, uncovered and exhumed multiple human remains buried in a shrine at Gblorkope in Central Tongu District.
This followed a suspected ritual murder and disappearance of 28-year-old Nelson Anyana.
The homicide investigation is a breakthrough in the alleged murder of Nelson resulting in the discovery of multiple human bones, some buried under idols in the shrine.
Six individuals have been arrested and arraigned in connection with the alleged murder of Nelson, after being declared missing.
The breakthrough came after Police Detectives from the Homicide Unit in Ho, in the company of three key suspects, conducted a search of a property believed to be used for ritual purposes.
The body of Nelson Anyana, who had been missing since December 2024, was exhumed from a Gblorkope shrine satisfying Police suspicion of ritual murder.
The Police, in their search, discovered three additional skeletal remains buried beneath different idols at the same location, as assorted human body parts believed to belong to other victims were found buried in nearby bushes, intensifying suspicions that the site may have been used for serial ritual killings.
The suspects, all residents of Mafi Adidome, are Augustina Fiawoyife, unemployed; Wisdom Hedidor, an herbalist; and Courage Bedzo, a kente weaver.
Others are Gblor Noah, also known as Ekpedzi, a fetish priest, 37; Gblor John, a security guard, 38; and Gblor Johannes, a lotto writer, 27 (all siblings) and operators of the Gblorkope shrine.
According to Police investigations, the case began when Comfort Hatse, a trader from Donkorkrom and mother of the deceased, reported her missing on December 17, 2024.
She stated that the deceased had left home on December 4 to meet the first suspect, Augustina Fiawoyife, and never returned.
It was later discovered that Augustina was in a relationship with the second suspect, Wisdom Hedidor, who had grown jealous over his ongoing relationship with the deceased and hatched the scheme to kill him, which was executed according to plan.
Around that time, the fourth suspect, Gblor Noah, reportedly earlier solicited a human body for ritual purposes in exchange for a substantial payment.
The third suspect, Courage Bedzo, relayed this request to Hedidor, who then agreed to carry out the murder.
On December 12, 2024, Augustina lured the deceased to a secluded area near DC Bungalow, a suburb of Adidome, while the victim engaged her in conversation, Hedidor and Bedzo ambushed and strangled him to death, with Augustina allegedly witnessing the act without intervening.
The third suspect subsequently contacted the fetish priest, who arrived at the scene with the sixth suspect, Gblor Yohannes and bought the deceased’s body for GH¢7,000, which was transported to the shrine in Gblorkope, where it was used in ritual ceremonies before being buried under the idols.
Following the recovery of Nelson Anyana’s remains and those of other unidentified individuals, all six suspects had earlier appeared before a District Court in Ho, charged with abetment of crime to wit murder and conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder.
Police investigators say further forensic analysis was underway based on the new discoveries to determine the identities of the additional victims and appropriate charges for the suspects.
The discovery has sparked outrage and fear among residents of the Central Tongu District, with many calling for swift justice and a broader investigation into possible ritualistic networks in the region.
The Ghana Police Service has reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing the case thoroughly and ensuring all perpetrators face the full rigours of the law.
The following links to articles from various sources (GhanaWeb, Modern Ghana) provide more information on this spectacular and revolting ritual murder case.
Source: The Homicide Unit of the Ghana Police Service has achieved a significant breakthrough with the discovery and exhumation of multiple human remains at a shrine in Gblorkope, Central Tongu District, Volta Region. The operation was launched following the suspected ritual murder of 28-year old Nelson Ayana, who went missing in December 2024. Source: GhanaWeb
