Ghana: illegal miners sacrifice newly-born babies for rituals to get gold

Warning: The following post contains graphic contents which may upset readers (webmaster FVDK)

‘Galamsey’ refers to illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana, also known as illegal artisanal small-scale mining (ASM). The miners are called galamseyers. Working conditions are hard. Miners do not use sophisticated equipment, much of the work in open pits and tunnels is done by hand. It is being estimated that there are 20,000 – 50,000 galamseyers (much is unknown about them). Galamsey is widespread in Ghana with a concentration in the Western Region. Reportedly, there are 11 galamsey hotspot districts.

The following is an astonishing story about galamseyers using babies for ritual purposes in search for gold. In an interview one galamseyer claimed that illegal miners buy babies from hospital employees for ritualistic purposes at Galamsey sites. The readers are warned that the following contains graphic details of horrific acts.
(FVDK)

Illegal miners use babies for ritual purposes in search of gold
‘Angel Morning Show’, September 29, 2024.

Ghana: illegal miners sacrifice newly-born babies for rituals to get gold

Published: September 29, 2024
By: Ghana Web

A retired galamseyer has revealed how illegal miners sacrifice newly born human babies in mining pits as ritual to enable them locate gold and other mineral resources in the soil.

Read the article originally published by Ghanaweb on Agst 12, 2023 below:

Screenshot. To watch the 45-mintes video including the interview with a galamseyer, please click here

Source: Inside details of how illegal miners sacrifice newly-born babies for rituals to get gold

Wassa Nkyirifi, Western Region, Ghana: man kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals

Another gruesome murder for ritual purposes, based on superstition and ruthlessness. An innocent small girl lost her life for a ‘money ritual’. This time it happened in Ghana.

It’s a sad story.

Warning: The articles may upset readers for their graphic contents (FVDK)

Wassa Nkyirifi: Man kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals

Wassa Nkyirifi: Man kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals. The suspect in white shirt at the scene where the body was exhumed on Friday morning

Published: August 4, 2023
By: Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu – Graphic Online

Residents of Wassa Nkyirifi, a farming community in the Western Region woke up on Friday morning to the horror of a suspected murder of a seven-year-old girl by her uncle for money ritual purpose.

After allegedly killing and burying the body in a nearby bush, the suspect, identified only as Augustine, a 37-year-old farmer reported to the police that his niece had gone missing.

The 7-year-old victim has been identified as Sandy Manu.

The suspect then went further to make public announcements on radio asking for help to locate his niece.

The police in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal area however, suspected foul play because of Augustine’s responses to the questions and why he was desperately concerned about the missing young girl.

Augustine’s body language, his responses and his eventual exhibition that he was terrified according to a police source, prompted an intense interrogation by the police during which he burst into tears.

According to the police source, he then confessed that he had killed the niece for money ritual so he could evade poverty.

He is said to have told the police that, he complained about poverty to one elderly man in the Wassa Nkyirifi community and the elderly man told him to use one of his many nieces for money rituals.

Upon meditation, he went to see a spiritualist the next day to help him go through the process of money rituals.

The suspect said the spiritualist then told him to bring human head – that is the head of one of his nieces.

From there, he went in for Sandy and killed her.

After killing and beheading her, he buried the headless body and concealed the head for the process.

He then led the police to the nearby bush where the headless body was buried and the body was exhumed.

The head was also retrieved from another location.

The body has since been deposited at the morgue and the suspect is currently in police custody.

A video from the scene where the body was exhumed has been shared on social media by some of the community members.

Source: Wassa Nkyirifi: Man kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals

Also:

Man allegedly kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals

Published: August 5 2023
By: Myjoyonline, Ghana

Residents of Wassa Nkyirifi, a farming community in the Western Region, woke up on Friday morning to the horror of a suspected murder of a seven-year-old girl by her uncle.

After allegedly killing and burying the body in a nearby bush, the suspect, identified only as Augustine, a 37-year-old farmer reported to the police that his niece had gone missing.

The suspect then went further to make public announcements on the radio asking for help to locate his niece.

The police in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal area, however, suspected foul play because of Augustine’s responses to their questions and how he was desperately concerned about the missing young girl.

Augustine’s body language, his responses and his eventual exhibition that he was terrified according to a police source, prompted an intense interrogation during which he burst into tears.

According to the police source, he then confessed that he had killed the niece for money ritual so he could evade poverty.

The seven-year-old victim has been identified as Sandy Manu.

The suspect is said to have told the police that, he complained about poverty to one elderly man in the Wassa Nkyirifi community. The elderly man advised him to use one of his many nieces for money rituals.

Upon meditation, he allegedly went to see a spiritualist the next day to help him go through the process of money rituals.

The suspect said the spiritualist then told him to bring a human head. From there, he went in for Sandy and murdered her.

After killing and beheading her, he reportedly buried the headless body and concealed the head in the process.

The suspect then led the police to the nearby bush where the headless body was buried and the body was exhumed.

The head was also retrieved from another location. The body has since been deposited at the morgue and the suspect is currently in police custody.

Meanwhile, a video from the scene where the body was exhumed has been shared on social media by some of the community members.

Source: Man allegedly kills 7-year-old niece for money rituals

Also:

Man arrested for allegedly killing niece for money rituals
Published: August 10, 2023
By: Ghana Web

Western Region – Ghana (Source: Wikipedia)

Ghana: four recent ritual murder cases: Abesim, Kasoa, Mankessim, Wa

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

Published: September 26, 2022
By: Ghana Web

was conducted at his home.

Source: Four recent ‘ritual’ murder cases: Kasoa, Abesim, Mankessim, Wa

Ghana: Ritual killing hits Takoradi

Published: January 26, 2019
By: GhanaWeb

The lifeless body of 16-year-old Kweku Gyamerah

Residents of Monkey Hill in Sekondi-Takoradi, the Western Regional capital, have been gripped with fear following the mysterious death of a 16-year-old boy in the area.

The lifeless body of Kweku Gyamerah, a final-year student of Bishop Essuah Junior High School (JHS) in Takoradi, was found in a forest reserve at Monkey Hill close to the Paa Grant Roundabout in Takoradi yesterday.

According to some residents, there were some marks on the body, which suggested that his blood might have been drained for ritual purposes.

“We also saw maggots in his nose and mouth. Also, there were bruises all over his body and parts of his body appeared mutilated,” a resident alleged.

According to Fredrick Gyamerah, father of the deceased, his son was staying with his aunt at New Site M35, near Takoradi but was reported missing on Monday, January 21, 2019 at about 8pm.

Distress calls were made to some radio stations in Takoradi about a decomposed body in the forest reserve while the police were informed later.

The police subsequently went to the scene and conveyed the decomposed body to the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital morgue in Sekondi.

Meanwhile, the police have launched investigations into the case.

Source: Ritual killing hits Takoradi

I didn’t demand human head – Fetish Priest in Ghana says


Published on February 12, 2018
By GhanaWeb

The Fetish Priest at the centre of a ritual murder at Bogoso in the Western Region, Nana Tia, has denied any knowledge of the killing of the 12-year-old boy.

According to him, he never demanded a human head from the suspects as claimed, saying that he only engages in healing his clients spiritually and money doubling.

“I have no idea of what is happening in this town. I don’t help people to kill. I only heal my clients when they are sick and help them to travel outside. I never asked the suspects to bring human heads” he said on Accra-based Neat FM.

The Agona Nkwanta District Police Command on Tuesday night arrested 23-year-old Alex Tetteh for possessing a human head, believed to be that of a young boy.

The suspect was arrested by the people of Sankro, a village near Dixcove when he was searching for a potential buyer of the human part.

The Western Regional Police PRO, ASP Olivia Adiku, told Takoradi-based Skyypower FM that the suspect had attempted to sell the human head to a spiritualist around 5:15 pm on Tuesday, February 6.

When interrogated by the police, the suspect, Alex Tetteh, confessed to decapitating the boy with two accomplices.

The suspect has since been transferred to the Regional Police Command at Sekondi, pending further investigations, while the human head concealed in a black polythene bag has been conveyed to the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital morgue.

But reacting to the incident, Nana Tia expressed shock at the turn of events since he never gave the suspect audience when he (suspect) visited him at his shrine.

“I have never met the boy; I was in the bathroom when my niece informed me that a boy had come to me to double money for him. I even sacked him but he refused to leave. I didn’t know that what he was holding in the bag was a boy’s head”, he said.

According to Nana Tia, he did neither saw the suspect nor the content of his belonging, adding that it was the villagers who arrested the suspect when he said he had come to the town looking for a Mallam to give him money ritual.

Meanwhile, father of the 12 year old boy, Mr Mensah is demanding justice for his deceased son, Ebenezer Tetteh, a student of Grace International School at Bogoso.

Sources from the school indicated that the deceased was seen in the school in the morning but after some students were sacked for the non-payment of school fees and the deceased may have left the school as a result.

But father of the beheaded boy says his son had paid his fees in full.

Source: GhanaWeb, February 12, 2018

Related article covering the same case:
Man arrested for offering human head for sale, Graphic Online, Author: Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu

Central Region and Western Region of Ghana