Warning: the following article’s graphic content may upset some readers.
Yesterday I reported on four recent ritual murder cases in Ghana, one of them being the killing for ritualistic purposes of a young lady, Georgina Asor Botchwey, a student nurse, at Mankessim, in the Central Region.
The murder took place on September 9 of this year. Two suspects have been arrested. The suspects are a self-styled pastor Michael Darko, 48; and the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom Christopher Ekow Quansah, 65, who reportedly kidnapped, killed, and secretly buried the victim.
Screenshot – click here to watch the YouTube video
The Ghanaian police is to be commended for its swift action. We will follow closely subsequent events. (webmaster FVDK)
Suspects Confess To Ritual Killing In Mankessim Murder
Published: September 23, 2022 By: Gloria Kafu Ahiable – The Ghana Report
Two suspects involved in the murder of a student nurse at Mankessim in the Central Region have admitted to killing the victim for ritual purposes.
The suspects, a self-styled pastor Michael Darko, 48; and the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom Christopher Ekow Quansah, 65, reportedly kidnapped, killed, and secretly buried the victim.
The police said the two confessed to “murdering the victim for money rituals.”
“During police interrogation, suspect Michael Darko, who is the alleged boyfriend of the senior sister of the deceased victim and was last seen with her, led police to the location where they had buried her after the murder.”
The body has since been exhumed and deposited at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
Meanwhile, the two accused persons were hauled before the District Court II in Cape Coast to respond to their crime on 22 September 2022.
They were remanded in police custody by the Cape Coast Court to reappear on 4 October 2022.
Both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder, contrary to section 46 of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960, Act 29.
What happened to the student nurse
The student nurse, Georgina Asor Botchwey, was allegedly kidnapped, killed and secretly buried by the chief and the pastor in the chief’s house at Mankessim.
The victim, 25, is said to have gone for an interview at the Ankaful Nursing Training College when the pastor, who happens to be her sister’s boyfriend, invited her for a meeting.
After the interview, the victim set off to meet her soon‐to‐be brother‐in‐law. Little did she know a trap had been set before she arrived in Cape Coast on 8 September 2022.
The self-styled pastor had conspired with the chief, who is the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom, to kidnap and sexually assault her.
On 9 September 2022, the accused persons picked the victim up in a Taxi at the Ankaful Hospital Pedu junction in Cape Coast.
They then took her to an uncompleted building belonging to the chief, where they had dug a hole in preparation for the ritual.
The chief is said to have hit the deceased with a club, and when she fell, her sister’s boyfriend dragged her by the feet while the chief held her neck till she died.
Meanwhile, news that the deceased had been missing for three weeks began to spread in the Mankessim after she failed to return home after the interview.
A notice in circulation read:
“Georgina Botchwey went for an interview at Cape Coast on Wednesday, and up till now, she cannot be found; her phone is off. Please, anybody with information about her should call 0208503126 or 0247048711.”
Following this notice, a friend of the deceased raised an alarm about Georgina meeting with her sister’s boyfriend.
Shortly after the tip-off, the pastor was arrested in Cape Coast and admitted to the crime.
He subsequently led the police to the residence where Georgina had been buried, and her body was exhumed.
The family of the murdered student nurse later disclosed that the suspects initially demanded a ransom from them.
According to Georgina Asor Botchwey’s relatives, the pastor and his accomplice had demanded that they pay GH¢15,000 for her release.
Unfortunately, the family could not raise the said amount.
Ghana’s reputation abroad is one of a stable democracy, with a relative healthy economy, albeit plagued by problems which are characteristic for a developing economy: low incomes, lack of jobs, shortage of capital, to name but a few.
However, there is another Ghana, a traditional Ghana, where people believe in the power of ‘juju’, in superstition, and where criminal people do not hesitate to attack their fellow countrymen for the purposes of ritualistic activities, even if this means that the victims die in the hands of their torturers and murderers.
The four cases cited below illustrate this. The ritualistic murders took place in various parts of the country.
In the past I have given ample attention to the Kasoa case which occurred to the west of the country’s capital Accra (Greater Accra region). All murder cases are tragic but the Kasoa case even more because of the background of the young murderers. The Abesim murder which made two victims, two boys of 12 and 15 years old, took place in the Brong Ahafo Region. The Mankassim murder case is situated in Ghana’s Central Region (Ashanti Region), between Cape Coast and Winneba. I will report more on this case in the next few days. Finally, the gruesome ritualistic murder in Wa, in the Upper West Region.
Tthe reader is warned that the graphic details of the murder(s) may be shocking. (webmaster FVDK)
Four recent ritual murder cases: Abesim, Kasoa, Mankessim, Wa
Perpetrators of human sacrifices in Uganda face severe punishments including the death penalty when found guilty of ritual murder. This does not scare certain individuals to engage in this cruel, gruesome and criminal practice, as the article below demonstrates. (webmaster FVDK).
The Daily Monitor and Daily Monitor Yahudu Kitunzi are to be commended for paying attention to this news.
Two witchdoctors arrested over child sacrifice in Mbale
One of the suspects who confessed to the ritual murder sits on a police truck after leading detectives to the crime scene in Sisye Cell, Namatala Ward in Mbale City on September 1, 2022. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI
Published: September 1, 2022 By: Yahudu Kitunzi, reporter Daily Monitor
What you need to know:
A detained suspect who led police to the crime scene on Thursday morning told detectives that “they killed the child for sacrifice.”
Police in Mbale City have arrested two witchdoctors who confessed involvement in the sacrifice of a five-year old boy who disappeared three weeks ago.
One of the two suspects leads police to the crime scene in Sisye Cell, Namatala Ward in Mbale City on September 1, 2022. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI
With some parts missing, the body of Rajibu Nasamba was Wednesday evening found buried in a sugarcane plantation along Kabwagasi Road in Namatala Ward, Northern Mbale City Division.
“The deceased disappeared and his parents reported the case of disappearance to police. We have arrested two suspects to help with investigations,” Elgon region Police Spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika confirmed.
He identified the suspects as Jamadah Isiko and Ibrahim Isiko, who are brothers and residents of Kiduda Cell in Namatala Ward in Mbale Industrial City Division.
Detained Isiko who led police to the crime scene on Thursday morning told detectives that “they killed the child for sacrifice.”
“It’s my brother who beheaded the boy and brought the body in the sugar cane for traditional rituals,” he said.
A police detective at the crime scene in Sisye Cell, Namatala Ward in Mbale City on September 1, 2022. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI
Preliminary police investigations indicate that the duo are also connected to the alleged sacrifice of a son to Mr Lukman Musamba.
Namatala ward resident Musamba said his son disappeared from home under unclear circumstances.
“I reported the disappearance of my son at Namatala police stations and I also placed radio announcements but in vain,” Mr Musamba, said.
Ms Mariam Mwiza, the Anti Human trafficking Activist, asked police to take the cases serious.
“The suspects shouldn’t be given a bond and thorough investigations should be conducted by police,” Ms Mwiza emphasized.
Mr Taitika disclosed that the suspects currently detained at Mbale central police station will be prosecuted but also cautioned parents to protect their children.
Human sacrifice in Uganda attracts severe punishments that may include life in jail or death.
The following article contains two interesting aspects to which I would like to draw the readers’ attention.
First, I was struck by the public declaration of Chief Zoe, Ma Wrote Musa, to continue certain traditional practices of the ancestors, including the practicing of FGM, female genital mutilation. My interpretation of these remarks is that traditional values and behavior are still undisputed in Liberia, at least at the highest level.
Secondly, almost causal the Chief Zoe mentions ritual killings. Shocking, it’s a public acknowledgement that these age-old practices still occur in this West African country. I found it shocking – which it is not really, in the sense that everyone in Liberia knows of the existence of these crimes, based on greed, superstition and the disrespect of the rule of law and of the human rights of the victims – including the government. (FVDK)
Liberia: “We’ll Continue the Sande Bush Practice of Our Ancestors” – Zoes in Margibi Vow
“We will continue the Sande Bush practice of our ancestors in Liberia. We inherited this practice, and in no way, we are willing to end it. And, if the government and others want to force us, we will traditionally resist. If they want us to leave our ancestors’ practice, let them be equally prepared to let go other practices such as same-sex, the UBF, the Free Masons and ritualistic killings, etc,” said Chief Zoe, Ma Wroto Musa.
Published: August 30, 2022 By: Mae Azango – Front Page Africa
MONROVIA – Hundreds of Liberian school-aged girls and young women stand the risks of being initiated into the Sande Society, also known as the bush school, because, traditional leaders of Margibi County pledged to continue their ancestors’ traditional heritage.
Chief Zoe, Ma Wroto Musa, Chief Samuel Kollie and other traditional leaders in Weala Margibi County vowed to continue Sande activities admit the three-year suspension on the practice.
“We will continue the Sande Bush practice of our ancestors in Liberia. We inherited this practice, and in no way, we are willing to end it. And, if the government and others want to force us, we will traditionally resist. If they want us to leave our ancestors’ practice, let them be equally prepared to let go other practices such as same-sex, the UBF, the Free Masons and ritualistic killings, etc,” said Chief Zoe, Ma Wroto Musa.
Speaking in Weala Margibi County, during a recent town hall in meeting, organized by HeForShe Crusaders Liberia, the West Point Women for Health and Development Organization and Community Healthcare Initiative, the zoes, along with over 20 traditional leaders, said even though they are knowledgeable of the three years suspension on FGM activity in Liberia, but they will continue until same-sex and UBF is abolished as well.
During the ongoing dialogue, in affirmation of their support, all the invited traditional participants raised their hands in support of FGM continuation in Liberia.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is the umbrella entity responsible for regulations of all traditional affairs, is unaware of the violation by many traditional leaders. When contacted regarding the wave of FGM activities going on after the three-year ban placed on the practice, Assistant Minister for Culture and Customs, Joseph B. Jangar, said he is surprised and shock at the same time such activities but promised to follow up with superintendents of the various counties that are said to be violating the three-year moratorium.
“The zoes and traditional leaders are all aware of the three-year suspension and not one of those zoes operating the bush schools will be able to show you any certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs because we are aware of the ban,” said Minister Jangar.
It can be recalled that in late February 2022, Chief Zanzan Karwor, Chairman of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, announced a three-year suspension of the practice of female genital mutilation in Liberia. The three-year ban which started with immediate effect came amidst campaigns by human rights groups for a total ban on the practice. But it seems since the declaration was made, many traditional leaders are openly violating the ban.
“FGM/C is not only a human rights violation, but undermines the peace and security of each and every female. Access to bodily autonomy is a right to every woman, end FGM and its not cultural but harmful suppression,” Saye Tamba F. Johnson, National HeForShe Crusaders Liberia. Johnson said Margibi County is the second county that has challenged the three-year suspension of FGM. The first was Grand Cape Mount in February of 2022. However, Lofa, Gborpolu, Grand Bassa, Bong, Montesrrado and Rivercess Counties are reportedly still carrying out the act, too.
According to this newspaper’s Nimba County Correspondent, two zoes in that county paid dearly for disobedience to the three-year ban when they were arrested in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, for forcing over 8000 school-going aged girls into the Sande Bush. The girls, who had gone to prepare for 2022/2023 school year, were all captured and forced into the Bush School by the two traditional leaders. And the report added that the practices are presently taking place in the 19 administrative districts in Nimba County.
HeForShe Crusaders Liberia, Lofa County Coordinator Boakai Yamah reported on the increase of FGM activities and listed towns and villages that are carrying out the practice during the three-year suspension.
“I reported earlier from Lofa County, on the increase in the numbers of Sande Bushes in operation across the county. Here are the names and locations where Sande Bush activities are ongoing.
2. Lawalazu Town, Lower Workor Clan, Voinjama District
3. Zawoadamai Town, Lower Workor Clan, Voinjama District
4. Borgondu Town, Quardu Gboni District
5. Korlelar Town, Quardu Gboni District
6. Kamolahun Town, Ngolahun Clan, Lukambeh District
7. Manena Town, Hembeh Clan, Lukambeh District
8. Lehuma Town, Wanwoma Clan, Wanhassa District.
However, for Lehunma Town all preparations have been put in place to take the children,” concluded Coordinator Yamah. Back to the Weala Meeting in Margibi, following the intense awareness on the importance of maintaining all positive attributes of the Sande Bush, making away with the circumcision aspect, the leaders and supporters disagreed. “Our leaders at the national level are seeking money and forgetting the values of our heritage. They are seeking their own personal interest and not us. They don’t consult us on issues; we only hear about them, which is a disservice to us. Hence, there is a need for you all to keep engaging us and let us know who are directly involved with the bush and speak out on what is possible,” said Chief Samuel Kollie.
Reports on ritual killings in Madagascar are rare – which should not be understood as being the same as the absence of ritualistic murders – but the position of people with albinism (PWA) on this large Indian Ocean island is fragile, as I reported earlier this year (see my April 3 and June 16 postings).
A recent attack on a child with albinism in Ikongo, about 50 miles southeast of the capital Antananarivo, angered a mob which subsequently tried to invade a police station where four suspects of the kidnapping were being held in custody. The consequences can be read below.
The rule of law is a good thing, mob justice cannot be tolerated, but questions can be asked about the conditions and reasons which prompted police officers to use their deadly weapons.
Apart from this question, we would like to know the outcome of the interrogations of the four suspects and – above all – which measures the government of President Andry Rajoelina is taking to improve and protect the position of people with albinism on this large island.
Madagascar is an island situated east of the African continent, in the Indian Ocean, separated from mainland Africa by the Mozambique Channel.
Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island and the world’s second largest island-country (after Indonesia). It has a population of nearly 30 million people (2022). (webmaster FVDK)
Cops shoot dead 14 people and wound 28 in Madagascar as they open fire on crowd trying to break into police station to kill four men accused of kidnapping albino child
A crowd of around 500 angry villagers armed with machetes and knives descended on the local police station in Ikongo
A crowd of 500 angry villagers descended on the Ikongo police station
They were demanding officers hand over the four alleged kidnappers
When they refused to back down, police opened fire, killing 14 people
Police in Madagascar have shot dead at least 14 people and wounded 28 others after opening fire on a crowd of protesters angered at the kidnapping of an albino child.
A crowd of around 500 angry villagers armed with machetes and knives descended on the local police station in Ikongo calling for the release of the four suspects arrested yesterday, so they could be dealt with by the mob.The demonstrators then ‘tried to force their way in’ to the station, a police officer told AFP.
‘There were negotiations, the villagers insisted,’ the officer said over the phone, adding police fired smoke grenades and shots in the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
‘They continued to force their way through… We had no choice but to defend ourselves,’ the police officer said.
Local doctor Tango Oscar Toky said ‘nine people died on the spot’ and another five died later in hospital.
Nine of those injured were in a critical condition, he said.
‘The gendarmes… fired on the crowd,’ local lawmaker Jean-Brunelle Razafintsiandraofa in the southeastern town of Ikongo told AFP.
Some sub-Saharan African countries have suffered a wave of assaults against people with albinism, whose body parts are sought for witchcraft practices in the mistaken belief that they bring luck and wealth.
Because of the superstition, their body parts can be sold for thousands of dollars and they are often targeted in ritual killings.
Some believe that having sex with an albino woman can also cure AIDS.
The kidnapping took place last week, according to Razafintsiandraofa, an MP for the Ikongo district about 50 miles southeast of the capital Antananarivo.
No further details were immediately available.
Madagascar, a large Indian Ocean island country, is ranked among the poorest in the world.
Warning: the following may upset the reader because of the graphic details
A gruesome act. Parents who torture and kill their child in cold blood. Allegedly for ritualistic purposes. Why? It’s a mind-blowing question. (webmaster FVDK)
Parents Arrested for Killing Their Child in Ritual Sacrifice
One of the suspects, Bosco Gudo, after being arrested
Published: August 19, 2022 By: Wambuzi Reacheal – Uganda Radio Network
Police in Kiira region on Friday confirmed the arrest of Bosco Gudo and his wife Eseza Musasizi over the killing of their two and a half-year-old son Jordan Kitimbo sacrificial rituals.
32 year old Gudo and his wife Musasizi aged 21 years, both residents of Buwolelo village, in Buwenge sub-county, in Jinja district, are reported to have killed their son on Thursday.
The suspects are reported to have peeled off part of their son’s skin, extracted unknown quantities of blood in a bowl and immersed his lifeless body in hot water, as a means of covering up their crime.
They later covered his remains in clean bedsheets before rushing them to Buwenge general hospital mortuary.
Their actions raised suspicion amongst residents who informed police, that in turn mounted a search in the house, where they recovered human parts suspected to be part of the deceased’s body.
Perepetwa Namukose, a resident in the area, says that there was no reported fire outbreak at their neighbor’s house, yet the parents claimed that the toddler had succumbed to fire burns. “Our houses are close to each other, so it was hard for us to believe that Gudo’s son would succumb to burns, without any of us noticing anything,” Namukose says.
On his part, the Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi stresses that available reports indicate that these suspects have been mistreating Kitimbo, despite numerous cautioning from community members.
Mubi says a team of detectives has been dispatched to expedite inquiries into the matter, adding that the suspects are being detained at Buwenge central police station.
Recently, Edo State police did a horrific find when it discovered in Benin City a ritualist’s den with 20 mummified bodies: 15 dried male corpses, three female corpses and two children corpses. Benin City is the capital of Edo State. Click here for more information on the Edo or Benin people.
It is not known who the victims are and how long the corpses have been in the ritualist’s den.
In general, it’s a gruesome reality that many unidentified bodies of victims of ritual murders (‘money rituals’) in Nigeria may be linked to unexplained disappearances. Even worse, some people are not being reported as missing.
Hence the exact number of victims of ritualistic murders in Nigeria is unknown, but much higher than the number of reported cases. (webmaster FVDK)
Location of Edo state and Benin City in Nigeria
Edo Police Command uncovers ritualist’s den, 20 corpses in Benin
Published: August 19, 2022 By: The Guardian, Nigeria
Edo State Police Command has uncovered a ritualist’s den with 20 mummified bodies, along Ekehuan Road area of Benin City.
The State Commissioner of Police (CP), Abutu Yaro, said the Command unravelled the suspected ritual shrine on Wednesday, August 17 and arrested three suspected ritualists.
Yaro said the raid is in line with the Command’s operational mandate of curbing crime in the state.
He said: “Following credible information at the Command’s disposal that some corpses were discovered in a building along Asoro slope off Ekehuan Road, Uzebu Quarters, in Benin City, operatives of the Command immediately swung into action and mobilised to the scene.”
According to him, three suspects were arrested at the scene, namely: Chimaobi Okoewu ‘m’ and Oko Samuel ‘m’ both of Afikpo in Ebonyi and Gideon Sunday ‘m’ of Akwa-Ibom State, while other suspects fled.
Yaro said the police have launched an intensive manhunt to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
Among the corpses discovered at the scene of the crime, are 15 dried male corpses, three female corpses and two children corpses.
He noted that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Command Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) has been directed to carry out a discreet investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the discovered corpses.
The commissioner urged members of the general public to be calm as the Command will continue to ensure the safety of all law-abiding citizens and those residing in Edo State.
It is relatively rare that ritual murder cases are being reported from Cameroon though this does not mean that these atrocious practices do not occur in this Central African country. I’ve explained on previous occasions that my continuous search for ‘muti’ murders, ‘money rituals’, ritual killings and other superstitious practices suffers from a bias. As a result, more cases from anglophone countries than from francophone and lusophone countries are being brought to my attention.
Though both French and English are official languages in Cameroon, eight out of its ten regions are primarily francophone. Hence, francophone media dominate the news which may explain the underreporting of Cameroonian ritual murder cases on this site. (webmaster FVDK)
Cameroonian woman kills sister-in-law, chops body for ritual (Videos, Photos)
Marie France Mbea, a 57-year-old Cameroonian woman, has been arrested for allegedly killing her sister-in-law for suspected money ritual.
Naija News gathered that the culprit killed the woman and chopped her body in a hotel in Yaoundé’s Biyem Assi area.
Marie was intercepted on Monday, August 22, 2022, while leaving the hotel with the body parts stuffed in a suitcase.
According to Local Media, the suspect claimed she had a phone conversation with an unidentified man who directed her to murder her sister-in-law in exchange for money.
She checked into the hotel with the victim where she used a beer bottle to hit her on the head and slit her throat.
Marie fled the hotel on Sunday night after killing her sister-in-law, only to return on Monday carrying a machete and a travelling bag.
When the hotel administration saw that she was carrying something too heavy for her and refused offers of assistance, they became suspicious and called the police.
The suspect, during interrogation at Yaounde police headquarters, admitted that the body parts were intended to be transferred to a man in exchange for money.
The article below pays attention to the first study of its kind (at least, as far as I know) that gives us reliable and in-depth information on the scale of ritual murders in a West African country as well as details pertaining to the ‘how and why’ of ritual killings in this country, Ghana. The author, Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu, is a law and criminology researcher at Aberystwyth University and a lecturer at Arden University (all in the United Kingdom). He recognizes that the reported ritual murder cases which were analyzed, and which were all reported in three local Ghanaian media outlets in the 2013-2020 period, may be only the tip of the iceberg due to a number of factors which he explains in the study.
The author studied and analyzed 96 ritual murder cases (reported in the 2013-2020 period) involving approximately 116 victims including 62 children. This means an average of 16 ritual murders including 9 child victims each year – in Ghana only, a country with a population of about 30 million. Significantly, the study shows that ritual murders form approximately 1.6% of all the murders chronicled in the country annually.
The study is entitled ‘The Superstition that Dismembers the African Child: An Exploration of the Scale and Features of Juju-Driven Paedicide in Ghana’. The 42-page study, in volume 60 issue 1 of the ‘International Annals of Criminology’ by Cambridge University Press, has been published in open access for which the publishers are to be commended. It is available in both HTML and PDF formats at: https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2022.2 or click here. (webmaster FVDK)
Over 16 ritual murders occur in Ghana each year, a recent study shows
Published: August 23, 2022 By: Vincent Tutu Bawuah – Modern Ghana
Juju-driven homicide or ritual murder has been the subject of many media reports in contemporary Ghana. However, very little is known about the prevalence/magnitude and features of this crime in the country, as national data sets on the ritual murder phenomenon are presently non-existent.
To help address the problem relating to the paucity of information on ritual murder, Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu (also known as Black Power), a law and criminology researcher at Aberystwyth University and a lecturer at Arden University (all in the United Kingdom), has conducted a dynamic study on juju and ritual paedicides/pedicides (i.e. killing children for ritual or occult purposes) in Ghana, the first of its kind in a West African setting.
The study sought to establish the scale and identify the primary features, motivations, and socio-cultural, religious and economic contexts of ‘ritual paedicide’ (a phrase coined by the researcher himself) in contemporary Ghana. It also examines the criminal justice system’s responses to such murders.
To realize the defined aim, an in-depth analysis of ritual homicide cases/reports publicized in three local Ghanaian media outlets (the Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, and Daily Guide) between September 2013 and August 2020 was carried out. Semi-structured interviews involving 20 participants were then conducted to gain additional insights into key aspects of the results of the media content analysis.
The following are some of the key findings of the study:
A total of 96 reports/articles on ritual murder were extracted from the websites of the three media outlets perused, and this involved approximately 116 victims. Out of the 116 victims, 62 were children. This means that at least 16.5 ritual murders involving approximately 9 child victims occur in Ghana each year. The study also indicates that ritual paedicide forms approximately 1.6% of all the murders chronicled in the country annually. The researcher however admits that the number of ritual paedicide cases identified in the selected media outlets may be only the tip of the iceberg due to a number of limitations highlighted in the study.
Most ritual paedicide victims (over 79%) are children of low socio-economic backgrounds in rural and semi-rural communities. There is no significant difference in the number of boys and girls murdered. Blood, the head, the limbs, and the private parts are the most sought-after body parts. Several reasons have been suggested for this trend. Ritual paedicide cases were more prevalent in the western part of Ghana than in other areas of the country. A reason for this development has been suggested in the study.
Poor parental supervision is a significant risk factor for ritual paedicide. Over 70% of the victims were kidnapped while playing outside their homes unsupervised, going to school or fetching water from a stream unaccompanied, or running errands for their parents or other family members. Though letting children under 10 years roam about unsupervised appears to be a normal practice in most African communities, the study cautions against it.
Most ritual murders involve multiple perpetrators, and a number of factors have been offered to explain this trend. Most perpetrators and prime suspects are males, aged between 20 and 39 years, mostly unemployed or financially handicapped. However, the study does not rule out the involvement of rich and educated people who are highly likely to hire others (ideally, poor or unemployed youth) to commit the barbaric crime rather than doing it themselves.
Unlike other forms of homicide, perpetrators of ritual paedicide are strangers nearly as often as being family members and acquaintances. Fathers, stepfathers, and uncles are the dominant culprits in cases where victims and perpetrators are related.
The most dominant motivation for ritual murder in Ghana is pecuniary gain. Among the key factors that account for the prevalence and persistence of ritual murders in the country are widespread unemployment and concomitant economic privations, obsession with juju, the increasing popularity of ‘cyber-criminality’ and the so-called Sakawa Boys, exposure of Ghanaian youth to African movies that portray juju and juju rituals as an efficient wealth-guaranteeing religious practice, illiteracy, and the emergence of a new ‘consumerist ethos’ that has engrossed the Ghanaian society and which is marked by the unrestrained quest for material success and the flamboyant display of luxury.
The majority of perpetrators are not apprehended or even identified by law enforcement agencies. There is evidence of police laxity in investigating and prosecuting cases of ritual pedicide in Ghana.
The study, entitled ‘The Superstition that Dismembers the African Child: An Exploration of the Scale and Features of Juju-Driven Paedicide in Ghana’, makes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge. It is highly significant as it breaks new ground and provides a foundation for further informed engagement with the ritual paedicide phenomenon in Africa.
The full study (a 42-page article) has been published (open access) in volume 60 issue 1 of the ‘International Annals of Criminology’ by Cambridge University Press. It could be accessed in both HTML and PDF formats at: https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2022.2
I’ve been doing research on ritual killings in African countries for many years. Yet, it still happens that I am surprised even flabbergasted by the new information I still find. One such experiences happened when reading the article presented below.
Reportedly, the Sefwi Bekwai area in Ghana is notorious for its ritual murders. The traditional leaders who recently spoke out against the rise in murders in their region notably the increase in ritual murders are to be commended for their public outcry. They referred to more than one ritual murder case in the past, one of these cases being the ritual murder of Kofi Kyinto by his uncle, Benjamin Affi, in the 1980s. The small boy was murdered by contract kiilers who had been instructed by Nana Akwasi Agyei of Akaasu.
I will soon provide more details about this notorious ritual murder case as well as others in the region. (webmaster FVDK)
Screenshot. To listen to this article (13:34 minutes), please click hereKrontihene and Acting President of Sefwi Bekwai Traditional Council, Chief of Sefwi Humjibre, Nana Kwadwo Twum II
Chiefs at Sefwi Bekwai have condemned a recent rise in murder cases in the entire traditional area.
According to Nananom, the recent murder cases have brought shame to the people and rekindled the unfortunate and undesirable stigma of a ‘Ritual Murder’ community.
The chiefs’ worry comes on the heels of some recent incidents including the killing of a 27-year-old woman, Martha Tetteh, a Linguist who was shot dead at Sefwi Proso among other bizarre killings.
The Sefwi area unfortunately had infamously gained notoriety in the 1980s for consistently recording mysterious deaths led by the popular Kofi Kyinto ritual murder.
Krontihene and Acting President of Sefwi Bekwai Traditional Council, Chief of Sefwi Humjibre, Nana Kwadwo Twum II, in a statement said the traditional leaders do not want such tags to continue.
Below is the full statement:
Below is the full statement:
(RESEC ) under the leadership of then Honourable Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu as Regional Minister and Member of Parliament for our constituency, Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai and the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) under the authority of Honourable Alfred Amoah (late) immediate past Municipal Chief Executive, and therefore they could make a BENKUMHENE in an Akan society such as ours install no mean a chief than OMANHENE, and still, we have people supporting this? We found nothing wrong with that abominable act, we sang their praises to the high places, and they did that with sheer bravado, we were told. Have we bothered to find out how they could formulate a litany of charges against me as the Acting president and without giving me any opportunity to defend myself, they came out with a captioned, ‘VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE’, which was subsequently endorsed by all the bodies mentioned above as supporting them? They even said, by that, they had removed me from office as KRONTIHENE of the traditional area, these were not child’s play. All of these have gone on and one expects our just God and the spirits of the land to be happy? Only time and real-time will tell.
“The further a society drifts from the truth; the more it will hate those that speak it” George Orwell would put it. Of course, if people get blinded and are influenced by their personal interests as against a group interest, they end up seeing things the way they would otherwise want them to be, and not as they are supposed to be, the case of the chieftaincy dispute at Sefwi Bekwai. However, no one bribes nature not to let them face the repercussions of their wrongful acts.
One may look at it this way, assuming the installation on 18th November 2018, was faulty as they claimed, the best option available to Nananom if they cared for the peace and good of our land and people, was to have challenged it at the appropriate forum; and it was never the calling for National Security to come and impose a certain individual on us as Omanhene, I stand to be corrected, they might have stood on one of our numerous laws to do that untoward act, and since I’m not a lawyer, I may not know.
Worst of all, in order to get a majority of four (4) out of the seven (7) kingmakers as our custom requires, the Regional House of Chiefs without listening to our side would authorize Benkumhene to install both Adontenhene (though I had already done that in my capacity as Krontihene) and Akwamuhene within a month and would go behind the existing Kyidomhene to appoint a brother of his who is maimed in the hand (having some fingers chopped off) and therefore, not qualified to come to the palace in the first place as per custom, let alone stand in as Kyidomhene. To all those who care for the truth, this is how far those Nananom and their supporters who claim to love Sefwi Bekwai more than anybody else, could throw our Omanhene stool to the lowest ebb ever and to the swine in their unflinching burning desire and uncustomary quest to also install someone as Omanhene. If you could wickedly do this unacceptable thing to your stool, could the people trust you for anything good, should what we are hearing and experiencing be strange? Could the Almighty God and the Spirits be blamed?
Is it not strange if after all of these, they turn round to point accusing fingers at some of us, albeit, we do not love Sefwi Bekwai?
Today, the truth is gradually getting out of the bag, and in due course, all would know who loves Sefwi Bekwai the more!
When we came out to challenge their illegal and abortive installation, almost the individuals who were madly involved in that sacrilegious installation including bodies we suspected to have had their hand tainted in the matter, came out with the speed of thunder to deny their involvement, rather vehemently. Thank God, that the truth could not be covered forever. In recent circulating audio, an individual who claims to be a member of Nana Ahene Mmra’s (late) family indicates and confirms our position that the Regional House of Chiefs ordered MUSEC, to collaborate with the other side to select a candidate of their choice and get him installed with the backing of the RESEC and National Security – A Regional House mandating MUSEC to select a candidate as Omanhene. And people who claim to know everything are proud to be assigned with such installation? Only at SEFWI BEKWAI!
The names of the individuals and bodies and roles they played are loud and clear in the said audio. Yet they had denied only to be exposed in the audio. They treat us this bad way and would want to take and swallow that bitterness down our throats?
Another alarming side to this whole episode is the mention of a pastor and the instrumental role he played in getting the assistance of the National Security on board the illegal installation. If it was true, then, we are not safe! Dangerous precedence it is.
If pastors who claim they have been called by God to do His work could not see the need to meet with us and know our side of the story for peace’s sake, would work their way to get the authorities so easily swayed to let National Security do what they did, then, of course, we are not safe! As Christians, we are told in the Good book, the Holy Bible to make peace with all, especially, pastors, yet a pastor worth his sort could get the rules bent in his favour in support of a relative or a dear one, thinking less of the dire consequences that could lead to, then, where was that God who’s voice directs him? Did he hear the voice of God to do that? l hardly could find words enough to describe that.
We may not have to complain about getting a raw deal from the state apparatus. One may be quick to say that, the authorities only acted on the sieved information they received from the very sources whose information is what they are to act on but what was true was the fact that those sources had an interest in the matter, and therefore they could be said (authorities) to have been tricked or misinformed. The question however is, should we always listen to a side on a disputed matter like ours?
What about the numerous petitions we wrote in respect of the earlier installation to various places of authority?
What came of the secular from the Chieftaincy Ministry to let a three-member Committee look into our case before it and; that the second installation should not be allowed by both RESEC AND MUSEC? – With the orders being flouted with impunity and disdain by the two bodies because there had been some compromises up the hill? Honorable SAMUEL KOFI AHIAVE DZAMESI, former Minister for Chieftaincy and Cultural Affairs, may the Lord bless you wherever you are.
And what about we appearing before the National Security Minister, Honourable Albert Kan Dapaah, to tell him our side of the story some two or three days to the second installation, only for him to tell us in the face that the ORDERS had already been given and his office could do nothing about it. His only advice was, “Nananom, Onyame na osi ohene, se eye mo dea a, mo nsa beka”, to wit if God says it is our candidate who is to be on the stool, their subsequent installation could not stop that.
In the face of these abuses, provocations, and injustices, we have never resorted to any foul means to get justice, as the system keeps delaying us justice by not getting the Judicial Committee of the Western North Regional House of Chiefs ready to consider our cases filed before it against the second installation since July 2019 (the four kingmakers and the principal elders of Ekona Royal Family of Sukusuku).
One may be hated for speaking the truth, as Plato would say. It is the hard truth as this which needs to be told at all times. The Bible tells us in John 8: 32, that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.
How beautiful it would be if together we protect our cultural heritage given to us by Nananom. Sefwi Bekwai has a unique culture and tradition to which our energies ought to be channeled to their development and promotion rather than allowing others who might not be well able to appreciate our culture, do as they presume, with all due respect.
Nananom, is it not our duty to ensure that the tenets of our culture are well organized so that we do not lose touch with it as trustees as we hand them over to the youth and generations yet unborn in due course and in their pure and natural states, not as adulterated as would undermine our integrity as traditional leaders as has been so done with the so-called second installation.
Was it not beautiful when in the process of the second installation, our Queen-mother, Nana Abena Aninwaah II sent drinks to me through a delegation, inviting me as Krontihene to undertake the said installation as our tradition provides?
I gave them a simple response that since I had already installed the Omanhene with the help of the other kingmakers, the second one could not be possible. But they would not accept nor respect that, because they had the support of National Security. They, therefore, went ahead to do the unimaginable, the effect of it we are facing today. This gives credence to the age-long saying that “You cannot eat your cake and have it”. If we decide to throw our tradition and culture to the dogs, we cannot turn around to get the support of the spirits for anything good. Nana Kwame Ampadu I of blessed memory would sum it up in one of his songs: “Ammanere yentoto n’ase, na yeso mu yie”. If we believe that our forebears gave what we have to us through various generations what they received from the creator, then of course we cannot disregard what God and the spirits have put down and has been sustained over the years by others for our good and that of those who come after us; and still expect their blessings and guidance in times such as these.
” Nea ese se yede to no, se yeamfa anto ho a, efiri to” It is time we got all the wrongs righted.
Again, irrespective of our current differences, we could still work in diverse ways in collaboration with the security agencies in ensuring that all those who played various roles in the ritual murder are made to face the full rigours of the law in a manner that will deter any such distasteful, preposterous and inhuman acts in the future. This is not beyond us.
It is also my humble prayer to the good people of Sefwi Bekwai to support authorities in this fight to get to the bottom of the matter by giving out any information whatsoever we may have in respect of the case to ensure that a lasting solution is found so that our security could be guaranteed. It may also go a long way in restoring our dented image as a people.
Finally, I will seize the opportunity to make a passionate appeal to His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo – Addo to use his good offices to ensure that the chieftaincy dispute at Sefwi Bekwai is resolved by directing the appropriate bodies to get lawyers to the newly created Regional Houses of Chiefs, such as the Western North Region.
In 2017, the President gave assurance to Ghanaians that his government would not meddle in issues bothering chieftaincy. The President said this when the Bawku Baana Asigri Abugrago Azarka II and his chiefs called on him at the Jubilee House.
Again, somewhere in April this year, the President was on record to have expressed his unhappiness on the numerous chieftaincy disputes across the country. This he said exacts a heavy toll on the public purse and therefore must be avoided where necessary.
The President, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo – Addo is noted for finding lasting solutions to protracted chieftaincy disputes – Yendi where he was conferred with the title, ” Naa Abudani I” and Ga states come to mind.
If those were possible, the case of Sefwi Bekwai is also possible, most especially, having promised the people of creating a District in honor of our late Omanhene, Odeneho Gyapong Ababio at his funeral at the Sefwi Bekwai Palace, back in 2016.
It is the humble prayer of Nananom that the President would not leave office without fulfilling that promise and also ensuring justice or reconciliation as far as our chieftaincy dispute is concerned. Counting on you, Mr. President.
Signed
Nana Kwadwo Twum II,
Krontihene and Acting President, Sefwi Bekwai Traditional Council; Chief of Sefwi HumjibreTel: 024- 7573571
