Limpopo province, South Africa: 18-year-old teenager murdered, body parts missing, sangoma arrested

Limpopo province is notorious for its ritualistic murders and feared disappearances. It is South Africa’s northernmost province and named after the Limpopo River.

The province’s main ethnic groups are the Pedi, the Tsonga and the Venda. Traditional leaders still hold an important position in society. The total population of about 5.5 million people is made up of a large black majority (96.5%) and small minorities of whites (2.5%), Indian or Asia (0.5%) and colored people (0.3%). (Source: Wikipedia.)

Sangomas or witch doctors are both respected and feared, and consulted by a large part of the population. Their role in the traditional treatment of an illness, to deal with evil spirits or to protect against witchcraft is undisputed and often requires as a sacrifice an animal or other forms.

An unknown number of sangomas are involved in criminal ritualistic activities and acts, notably ritual murder. Reportedly, this is the case with the sangoma arrested in Mokomene village in Botlokwa, Limpopo province, earlier this week. Read the gruesome story below. The authorities are to be commended for their swift action. It is not excluded that more arrests will follow.

Warning: The articles’ graphic details may upset readers (FVDK)

Teen’s body parts missing, sangoma bust!

A sangoma has been arrested for the brutal murder of Modjadji Thoka, who was found mutilated.

Published: January 18, 2024
By: Daily Sun – South Africa

LIMPOPO police arrested a sangoma in connection with the brutal murder of Modjadji Thoka (18).

The sangoma (30) was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 17 January at Mokomene Village in Botlokwa, Limpopo.

Modjadji went missing on Friday, 5 January, and her mutilated body was found on Monday, 8 January, at an advanced stage of decomposition with her body parts removed.

She was found with her head, legs, hands, private parts and breasts missing.

This left villagers in shock and fuming as they wanted to know who committed the gruesome act.

Limpopo police spokesman Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said cops in Botlokwa made a breakthrough following the arrest of a 30-year-old man who is linked to the murder of Modjadji, whose body was found in the Botlokwa policing area.

“Through an intensive investigation, the suspect allegedly took the team to the place where he buried the head of Modjadji and was immediately arrested for murder,” he said.

Ledwaba said the arrest comes after police were notified about the discovery of the body of a woman at an abandoned house, and upon arrival at the scene, they found the body of the woman in an advanced state of decomposition.

“Further investigations revealed that the body was dismembered,” he said.

The suspect will appear before the Morebeng Magistrates Court soon while police investigations continue. 

Acting provincial police commissioner Major-General Jan Scheepers praised the team for ensuring that the ruthless criminal is put behind bars.

“I also commend the community for providing crucial information. We are relieved that the suspect is arrested and expect more arrests,” said Scheepers.

Source: Teen’s body parts missing, sangoma bust!

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Traditional healer leads police to where he buried the head of 18-year-old girl after butchering her

The victim, 18-year-old Modjadji Niccol Thoka

Published: January 18, 2024
By: Linda Ikeji’s Blog

The police in South Africa have made a major breakthrough following the arrest of a 30-year-old Sangoma (traditional healer) who is linked to murder of an 18-year-old girl, Modjadji Niccol Thoka.  

Thoka’s lifeless body was found on the 8 January 2024, at Mokomene, Ga-Thoka village in Botlokwa policing area, Limpopo a few days after she went missing. 

She was found with several body parts missing, including her head, breasts, both hands and legs missing. Only her torso was discovered on the scene.  The incomplete body was only recognised by a family member after residents alerted them.   

According to police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, members of Provincial detectives and Botlokwa detectives activated an operation to trace and arrest the suspect. 

“In the early hours of Wednesday, 17 January 2024, the suspect was arrested at Mokomene village,” he said.  

“Through the intensive investigation the suspect allegedly took the team to the place where he buried the head of the deceased.  “He was immediately arrested for murder.

His arrest comes after Police were notified about the discovery of the lifeless body of a woman at an abandoned house.  

“Upon arrival at the scene, they found a body of the woman in an advanced state of decomposition. Further investigations, revealed that the body was dismembered,” Colonel Ledwaba added.   

The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers has praised the Police team that ensured that this ruthless criminal is put behind bars.   

He further commended the community and Police collaboration that resulted in the providing of crucial information.  “We are now relieved that the suspect is arrested and expect more arrests,” concluded Major General Scheepers. 

The suspect will appear before Morebeng magistrate’s court soon.  The police investigations are still ongoing.

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Source: Traditional healer leads police to where he buried the head of 18-year-old girl after butchering her

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Teen (18) found with missing body parts

Published: January 11, 2024
By: Daily Sun – South Africa

THE Thoka family from the small community of Mokomene in Botlokwa, Limpopo, could not have foreseen such a terrible start to the year 2024.

Five days into the new year, Modjadji Thoka (18) went missing on Friday, 5 January. 

Panicking, the family set off in search of the teenager.

It didn’t take long for the family to find their loved one, but it wasn’t a pretty find. On Monday, 8 January, Modjadji’s body was found mutilated and dumped in the bushes.

All that was left of her body was her skull. Her breasts, two legs, both hands and genitals had been cut out.

The teenager’s body was discovered by local residents who alerted the police and the family of the deceased.

This horrific discovery, believed to be the first of its kind in the area, has sent shockwaves through the community.

Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has appealed to the public to provide information that could assist the cops in their investigations after the body of a woman was discovered at Mokomene in Ga-Thoka Village at about 9am on Monday, 8 January.

Hadebe told Daily Sun that the police responded to a report of a woman’s body abandoned in the bushes.

“When they arrived, they realised that the woman’s body was in an advanced stage of decomposition. The identity of the deceased could not be determined as the investigation is still at an early stage,” she said.

Hadebe said the motive for the gruesome crime was yet to be established.

“Anyone with information that can assist in the investigation is asked to contact the investigating officer, Captain Ngwetsana, on 082 718 9781 or the emergency number 08600 10111, the nearest police station or the MySAPS app,” Hadebe said.

Source: Teen (18) found with missing body parts

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Suspect linked to murder of an 18-year-old woman in Botlokwa, nabbed following intensive investigation

Published: January 17, 2024
By: Media Statement, South African Police Service, Office of the Provincial Commissioner Limpopo

POLOKWANE – The Police in Botlokwa have made a major breakthrough today following the arrest of a 30-year-old man, also a Traditional Healer, who is linked to murder of an 18-year-old Modjadji Niccol Thoka, whose lifeless body was found on 08 January 2024 , at Mokomene, Ga-Thoka village in Botlokwa policing area.

Members of Provincial Detectives and Botlokwa Detectives activated an operation to trace and arrest the suspect. In the early hours of Wednesday, 17 January 2024, the suspect was arrested at Mokomene village. Through the intensive investigation the suspect allegedly took the team to the place where he buried the head of the deceased. He was immediately arrested for murder.

His arrest comes after Police were notified about the discovery of the lifeless body of a woman at an abandoned house. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a body of the woman in an advanced state of decomposition.

Further investigations, revealed that the body was dismembered.

The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, has praised the Police team that ensured that this ruthless criminal is put behind bars. He further commended the community and Police collaboration that resulted in the providing of crucial information. “We are now relieved that the suspect is arrested and expect more arrests,” concluded Major General Scheepers.

The suspect will appear before Morebeng Magistrate’s Court soon.

The Police investigations are still ongoing.

Ends

Enquiries:
Colonel Malesela Ledwaba
082 451 7180

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Source: Suspect linked to murder of an 18-year-old woman in Botlokwa, nabbed following intensive investigation

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Botlokwa police investigate the gruesome discovery of the body of an 18-year-old woman

Published: January 10, 2024
By: Anita Nkonki – IOL, South Africa

The Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has urged community members to provide valuable information that can assist the police in the investigation following the gruesome discovery of the body of a young woman.

A female was found dead at Mokomene, Ga-Thoka Village under Botlokwa policing precinct, North West, on Monday at about 9 am.

Police received a complaint about the body of a woman at an abandoned house and rushed to the scene.

Upon arrival, they found the body of the woman in an advanced state of decomposition.

“The deceased’s identity will be released in due course as the investigation is still in its preliminary stages. The motive behind this gruesome act is not yet established.”

Source: Botlokwa police investigate the gruesome discovery of the body of an 18-year-old woman

And:

Police in Limpopo are appealing for information after a body of a woman was found at an abandoned house.
Source: Decomposing body of woman found at abandoned house in Limpopo village, January 9, 2024

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GRAPHIC CONTENT: Teenager’s murder shocks Limpopo community

Published: January 12, 2024
By: YouTube

Please note, that the following report contains graphic content which may upset some viewers. Some residents at Mokomene village at Botlokwa in Limpopo say they feel unsafe after the discovery of the mutilated body of an 18-year-old girl. Modjadji Thoka’s decomposed remains were found in an abandoned house. Her family reported her missing last week. Angry community members have called on the police to intensify their investigation.

Screenshot. To watch the video click here.
Warning: GRAPHIC CONTENT: Teenager’s murder shocks Limpopo community

Source: YouTube – GRAPHIC CONTENT: Teenager’s murder shocks Limpopo community

Limpopo Province, South Africa

Uganda: father jailed 52 years for son’s ritual sacrifice, witch doctor set free

Law enforcement officers as well as the High Court Judge are to be commended for the bringing to justice of a father who brutally killed his own son believing that would bring him wealth. Greed and superstition were the ingredients for a repulsive act. Hopefully the 52-year prison sentence for the convicted murderer will act as a deterrent for others who might be tempted to engage in this practice of child sacrifice for personal gains.

Warning: the following article contains graphic details of a cruel crime which may upset some readers (webmaster FVDK).

Father jailed 52 years for son’s ritual sacrifice, witch doctor set free

The accused persons arrive at court. COURTESY PHOTO/URN

Published: November 1, 2023
By: Michael Wandati – DISPATCH, Uganda’s News Monthly

Iganga, Uganda | In a significant legal ruling, High Court Judge, Justice David Batema, has handed down a verdict resulting in a 52-year prison sentence for Hassan Kafudde, a father convicted of the murder of his son in a ritual sacrifice. The case also involved lengthy sentences for one accomplice, while the witch doctor implicated in the case, who had spent six years in remand, was released.

The proceedings unfolded within the High Court of Uganda Circuit located in Iganga. The prosecution’s case contended that Kafudde sacrificed his son in a ritual murder with the belief that it would bring him wealth.

According to the prosecution’s account, on the 6th of June 2017, the convicted individuals, situated in Musita village within the Mayuge District, gruesomely beheaded and mutilated a child known as MJ in a ritualistic act.

Earlier in the legal proceedings, one of the accused, Issa Muyita, entered a guilty plea, reached a plea bargain agreement, and offered to testify as a prosecution witness. Consequently, he received a 25-year prison sentence. The trial continued against Kafudde and Kabaale Mubaraka, both of whom pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, Muyita confessed that he had accompanied Kafudde from Musita trading center to a sugarcane plantation, where Kafudde presented his son MJ. The child was tragically murdered in the sugarcane plantation near a stream. Kafudde collected the child’s blood in a polythene bag and transported the severed body parts in a bag. Additionally, he dug a shallow grave to bury the decapitated remains of the sacrificed child.

As a result, Kafudde was found guilty of the ritual murder of the child MJ and convicted as charged. It was subsequently established in court that Mubaraka did not actively participate in the commission of the offense.

However, the court determined that Mubaraka, identified as a witch doctor with shrines in Musita village, had been informed of the criminal act by Hassan Kafudde. Mubaraka subsequently went into hiding after the incident and was subsequently found guilty of being an accessory to the murder, as per section 394 of the Penal Code Act.

At the conclusion of the trial, Justice Batema, presiding over the High Court of Uganda Circuit in Iganga, convicted and sentenced the accomplices, Muyita, Kafudde, and Mubaraka, on the charge of trafficking in persons, in violation of section 4(a) and 5(c) of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act. Hassan Kafudde was sentenced to 52 years in prison, while Mubaraka received a 3-year prison term.

In his judgment, Justice Batema strongly denounced the heinous practice of ritual child sacrifice, the dismemberment of children, and the illegal trade in body parts, emphasizing the gravity of such offenses.

Justice Batema justified the lengthy custodial sentence for Kafudde by pointing to his lack of remorse throughout the court proceedings and his failure to demonstrate regret for the crime. Accordingly, Kafudde was sentenced to spend 52 years in Kirinya prisons, which includes the six years spent in pretrial detention.

The judge found Kabaale Mubaraka guilty of being an accessory to the crime but observed hesitancy on his part to report the incident to the police. Consequently, Mubaraka was sentenced to three years in prison, but given his prior six-year remand period, he was ordered to be immediately released.

Jacqueline Okui, the spokesperson for the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), commended the court for its landmark judgment, asserting that it will serve as a deterrent to individuals involved in such criminal acts.

Okui further challenged parents to take a proactive role in safeguarding their children’s well-being, emphasizing that engaging in child rights abuses such as ritual murders, whether directly or indirectly, would result in significant custodial sentences.

The investigation of this case was led by Aliwali Kizito, Chief State Attorney, with the prosecution being conducted by Racheal Bikhole, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Division, along with Nyanzi Gladys, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Biira Peace, Chief State Attorney, and Arap Malinga, a Senior State Attorney within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Source: Father jailed 52 years for son’s ritual sacrifice, witch doctor set free

Zambia: four suspected ritual killers nabbed 

”Police have arrested four people including a witch doctor and his son in connection with a suspected ritual murder of 10-year old Universal Kamushi, who went missing on Friday last week.”

Published: March 30, 2023
By: Felix Nkinke – Times of Zambia

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Source: Zambia: four suspected ritual killers nabbed

There’s another reason for bringing this arrest of four suspected ritual murderers to your attention.

The saying ‘History is repeating itself’ seems to be applicable here.

Also in 2016 news media reported the arrest of four suspected ritual murderers. Below the Reuters article describing the incident. However, the full text of the saying is ‘History is repeating itself. The second time as a tragedy’.

Unfortunately, this is applicable too.
(webmaster FVDK)

Zambia police arrest four suspects for ritual murders that sparked riots

People use a pole to batter a shop doorway during clashes with police in Lusaka April 19, 2016. REUTERS/Jean Mandela

Zambia police arrest four suspects for ritual murders that sparked riots

Published: May 10, 2016
By: Reuters staff

LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia police said on Tuesday four suspects have been arrested in connection with a string of grisly ritual murders in the southern African nation’s capital that triggered anti-foreign riots targeting mostly Rwandan migrants in April.

The arrested suspects are two army soldiers, a civilian employee of the Zambian Air Force and a traditional doctor, police said. They were to appear in court Tuesday afternoon charged with seven counts of murder.

“All the murders which the accused have been charged with were committed in a similar manner by crushing the left side of the head, removing body parts and later dumping the deceased near their homes,” police said in a statement.

Police said in April that the victims had ears, hearts and genitals removed, raising suspicion of ritual killings.

Human body parts are sometimes used in traditional remedies and concoctions in southern Africa. The practice is linked to witchcraft beliefs.

Zambia hosts thousands of refugees from neighboring countries, especially Rwanda and Burundi, but relations between the communities are usually peaceful.

Reporting by Chris Mfula; Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia

Uganda: why human sacrifices still thrive in Kayunga District

Many of my postings on this site refer to reported or suspected ritual murder cases in West Africa. However, this phenomenon dating from ancient times also exists in other regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Superstition and the greed for power, wealth or good health constitute the main driving forces behind the crimes of ritual murder, human sacrifice and/or ritual cannibalism.

In East Africa ritualistic murders are rife in Uganda. As mentioned below, according to the 2013 Child Sacrifice and Mutilations Report, one child is killed for rituals every week. A mind blowing statistic. Within Uganda the Kayunga District has earned the dubious reputation of being one of the most notorious killing places. Read the breath taking article below; the reader is warned as it contains graphic details.

Uganda is one of an increasing number of SSA countries where human sacrifice and ritualistic murders have become crimes which carry the death penalty. Many countries and international initiatives have outlawed the capital punishment, but several African countries take a different course, notably to contain and/or eradicate ritual murders. The big question is whether the death penalty, which is not always executed, will bring us closer to a society where people no longer fear falling victim to ritual killers. Or should we look for another approach the eradicate this scourge of ignorance and superstition?

PS For an interesting plea to abolish the death penalty the reader is invited to read the following article: ‘Death of Death Penalty in Ghana‘ or click here.
(webmaster FVDK)

Why human sacrifices still thrive in Kayunga

A suspect digs up a place where he claimed to have buried a child in Kayunga District last year. PHOTO/FRED MUZAALE

Published: November 11, 2022
By: Fred Muzaale – Monitor, Uganda

What you need to know:

  • Police say most victims of human sacrifices are children because they are easier to abduct and seen as “pure” and of “higher ritual value.”
  • Last year, President Museveni passed the Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill 2021, which criminalises the act of human sacrifice.

————————————————————————————————————–

On a hot Monday afternoon at Kayunga Court premises in Kayunga District, Allan Ssembatya walks with his head lowered. 

Visibly not in a good mood, he is in the company of a man and a woman. The two grown-ups are his mother and father.

The 19-year-old Ssembatya’s forehead bares a big scar that he sustained after he was cut with a machete by two men during an attempted ritual murder incident in 2009. He was by then 6 years old.
Fortunately, Ssembatya, now in Senior One, survived, but lost both of his testicles. Because of the cut inflicted on his head, he now has persistent headaches and nightmares.

A resident of Busolo Village in Kayunga Sub-county, Ssembatya spent one month in a coma after the incident.

“Doctors who examined him after the attack said he would not be able to bear children. This is purely a case of human sacrifice,” Ms Sarah Tumusiime, the Kayunga Chief Magistrate, revealed during a court session last month.

She sentenced the convicts; Paul Ngaswireki and Awali Kivumbi, both residents of Busolo Village, who were found guilty of committing the offence, to 40 years each in prison.

According to Ssembatya’s father, his son was attacked by the two men when he had gone to the garden to harvest a jackfruit. He was later left fighting for his life in a forest.

Ssembatya’s case is the latest among such incidents, but Kayunga District has had numerous human sacrifice-related incidents.

In March 2020, a 60-year-old man in Kakoola Village, Kitimbwa Sub-county, was beheaded and his head taken by unknown assailants.

The torso was later recovered from a bush. Two witch doctors were arrested in connection with this incident although the whereabouts of the human skull is still unknown.

Additionally, a traditional healer in Kisoga Village, Nazigo Sub-county, was arrested in 2018 after five bodies were found buried in his shrine. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mukono High Court.

Last year, a father in Bbaale Sub-county was arrested after he allegedly killed two of his children over ritual sacrifice. He confessed to the act claiming he was promised Shs2m.

Ms Beatrice Ajwang, the Kayunga District officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigations Department, said most of the suspects arrested in connection with such acts are “traditional healers and people who want to get rich quickly”.

Ms Ajwang said most victims of human sacrifices are children, apparently because they are easier to abduct and seen as “pure” and of “higher ritual value.”

Without disclosing statistical figures of how many cases of human sacrifice had been recorded in the district, Ms Ajwang confirms that “Kayunga is a hotbed of ritual sacrifice”.

She said out of more than 300 traditional healers operating in the district, their preliminary investigations reveal that half of the number are quacks.

“Kayunga is a unique area, you will find many households having shrines on top of being multi-ethnic. This could be a major contributor to these acts,” Kayunga chairperson Andrew Muwonge said.

Ms Ajwang said despite enacting laws to crack down on those engaging in human sacrifices, the practice has continued.

The law
Last year, President Museveni passed  the Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill 2021, which criminalises the act of human sacrifice.

The legislation was moved as a private member’s Bill by former Ayivu County legislator Bernard Atiku with the intent of addressing the growing vice of human sacrifice.

According to the new law, any person who mutilates or causes the death of another person for the purpose of performing or furthering a ritual commits an offence and will be punished by the death penalty upon conviction.

“Worse still, it is a big challenge investigating human sacrifice cases because on some occasions it is carried out by parents themselves on their children while in some other cases people are not willing to give information that could be of help to arrest and prosecute offenders,” Ms Ajwanga said, adding: “We appeal to religious leaders to help us instill morals in our people. As police, we have tried to sensitise them against this vice.’’

Ms Sylvia Namutebi, aka Maama Fiina, the national chairperson of Uganda Traditional Healer’s Association, dismisses claims that the acts are committed by people who practice her trade.

“No genuine traditional healer can sacrifice a human being. These are masqueraders hiding in our job. It is our duty to ensure we [genuine healers] weed out such bad people,” Ms Namutebi said.

She said with the help of genuine healers, they have arrested and prosecuted such ‘wrong elements’, noting that she is on a country-wide tour to sensitise traditional healers on professional ethics.

Mr Peter Mawerere, the Kayunga deputy Resident District Commissioner, blamed the vice on ignorance, greed, and poverty. He noted that many people sacrifice human beings because they think it will make them wealthier.

“It is surprising that many people go to traditional healers when they fall sick, even when their ailments can be treated by qualified medical personnel,” he said.

“We have tasked the leadership of traditional healers to fight the acts, which we highly believe are perpetuated by some of their members,” he added.

Rev Fr Maurice Kigoye, the parish priest of Kangulumira Parish in Kangulumira Sub-county,  said: “It [human sacrifice] is really an inhuman act. How can you think that when you kill a person and drink their blood, you can get rich? As religious leaders, we have tried to lure them [culprits] to turn to God and get saved,” Fr Kigoye said.

NGO role
Mr Peter Sewakiryanga, the executive director of Kyampisi Child Care Ministries (KCM), said his organisation receives a number of human sacrifice cases from Kayunga District every month.

“We work with probation officers, police, and other agencies who bring to our attention such cases,” he said.

Mr Sewakiryanga added that in a bid to ensure the culprits are arrested and prosecuted, his organisation facilitates investigations carried out by police officers.

“Many such cases die at the investigation stage, but with our support, a number of the suspects have been prosecuted and convicted like the recent one of Ssembatya. Court sentenced the convicts to 40 years each in jail,” he said.

He explains that KCM also offers treatment, counselling, and psychosocial support to survivors of ritual sacrifice.

“We have in some cases relocated families of the victims for their safety, built them houses and offered education to survivors,” Mr Sewakiryanga said.

2013 report

According to the 2013 Child Sacrifice and Mutilations Report, one child is killed for rituals every week.

The report indicates that people carry out human sacrifices to seek wealth, among others. 

Source: Why human sacrifices still thrive in Kayunga

Ghana money rituals: Why ritual murder dey on de rise for Ghana

The focus of the September 2021 article showing below is clear even though it’s in Pidgin English, a mixture of English and local languages spoken in Ghana. It refers to several ritual killing cases which have already been reported on this site, like the notorious Kasao ritual murder case. It also refers to the role of media, notably television, which has also been addressed in previous posts.

The main theme is clear: ritual murder cases are in the rise in Ghana, a worrisome phenomenon. The article below scratches the surface of the roots of the problem: superstition, lack of education – even though education provides no guarantee – and a weak rule of law, sometimes caused by institutional factors, sometimes attributed to connivance of authorities at the highest level.

The eradication of ritualistic activities including murder must have a high priority of lawmakers and those who are responsible for upholding the law. It’s a question of protection of human rights, notably the right to live and to live without fear, and of having a modern, democratic society in conformity with what one may expect in the 21st century.
(webmaster FVDK)

Ghana money rituals: Why ritual murder dey on de rise for Ghana

Published: September 2021
By: Seth Kofi Yeboah – BBC

Two teenagers bin allegedly kill dis 11-year old boy afta witch doctor allegedly direct dem to do so

Ritual murder be major issue Ghanaians dey deal with after de country start dey record multiple cases dis year.

In de past, some of de most infamous ritual murderers target women, but recently children be de target of ritual murders for Ghana.

But question wey dey on de minds of many people be why ritual murder dey on de rise for Ghana. 

Why ritual killings dey increase for Ghana

Unemployment be major challenge which most Ghanaian youth dey face. 

Dis unemployment challenge create economic hardships give young people who dey look for get rich quick schemes to escape poverty. 

Security Analyst, Adam Bonaa dey argue say jobless youth dey take up criminal means to survive. 

”While internet fraud, robbery, money laundering den tins be criminal activities de youth dey engage in, some people dey see ritual killings as option.

“De killings dey happen sake of Spiritualists who dey promise patrons money”, he talk. 

Popular traditional priest, Nana Kwaku Bonsam explain dis better, according to him, ‘fake’ traditional priests dey demand for people to satisfy some very difficult conditions like bringing human parts den tins.

Dis be one of de reasons why ritual killings dey on de rise. 

Dis show in de recent Kasoa killing case where two teenagers allegedly kill 12 year old neighbour sake of fetish priestess allegedly direct dem to bring human parts.

“De misconception be say once dem use human blood do rituals, dis dey make de vodoo more potent” Nana Kwaku Bonsam talk. 

De implication be de needless killings to meet conditions of fetish priests off late.

‘Fetish priests who request for human parts be scammers’

Nana Kwaku Bonsam
Wetin we call dis foto, Nana Kwaku Bonsam

For popular traditional priest, Kwaku Bonsam, de use of human blood no dey make any vodoo potent. 

After de murder of three kids for Abesim, he reveal say most fetish priests dey request for human parts be scammers. 

According to Kwaku Bonsam, “de only blood sacrifice traditional priest dey need to perform any ritual be animal blood.”

“But some traditionalists who want make money from unsuspecting people, dey charge den big monies in addition, dem go request human parts which dem know say go be difficult to do”, he explain. 

“Once you no fit do am de money you give dem lock, again you no go expect any vodoo money sake of you no bring de human parts”, Nana Kwaku Bonsam add. 

“In de end, monies wey all de people who visit carry give dem as part of de ritual go be for dem – that be how dem dey scam people”, he explain. 

Increase in On-air radio/TV/online adverts by fetish priests

Another cause of ritual killings be de increase in adverts by fetish priests who dey advertise say dem fit double money or give people charm to make money. 

De failure of key state institutions who for control content on public radio and TV dey make some youth vulnerable to de spiritual scammers.

Those who go follow de public adverts, radio and TV shows go visit de fetish priests for money solutions dey end up going extreme lengths to kill innocent people as part of de ritual process. 

Early dis year, Ghana Communicate Minister, Ursula Owusu make police arrest owner of Thunder TV and Ice1 TV sake of dem dey broadcast shows on money doubling rituals den stuff.

According to Ursula Owusu, “unregulated television stations dey promote some content which dey affect public order, public morality den rights.”

Authorities for Ghana start dey shut down TV den radio stations who dey run adverts on ritual money den tins. 

Violence turn currency in Ghana

Security analyst, Dr Kwesi Aning believe say Ghana go continue to experience crimes like ritual murder sake of people dey see am as profitable venture. 

According to am, “crime turn profitable venture in dis country such that we no know what to do.

“Dis in addition to de weak criminal justice system for Ghana which dey fail to arrest and prosecute criminals dey punish encourage more crime”, Aning add.

Security agencies for Ghana over de years fail to deal with crimes in de country like robbery, kidnapping den ritual murders. 

Dis according to analysts dey encourage more people to attempt criminal activities like ritual murder of kids sake of dem feel say police no go investigate and bring dem to justice.

In 2019, de kidnapping of three girls for Takoradi go under police radar until media start dey report on de matter. 

De many media reports put pressure on de Ghana Police Service to investigate, identify suspects den later retrieve de bodies of de girls. 

After media make de issue of kidnapping a national issue, de police service make de issue step up dema investigations leading to arrest and prosecution of de suspects behind Takoradi girls who dem discover dead. 

What Ghana law say about ritual murderers

Ghana dey classify murder as first degree felony, publishable by death. 

Ghana lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor explain say based on section 46 of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29) people who commit murder go suffer de death penalty.

Despite de death sentence, Ghana shun dey effect de death sentence since 1993.

Sake of dis, in practice death row inmates dey serve life imprisonment whenever court sentence murderer to death.

Source: Ghana money rituals: Why ritual murder dey on de rise for Ghana

‘Sorcery’ still a motive for torture, killing in 21st century

It seems appropriate to start this introduction to the following article with a warning because of its graphic contents. Sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) is sometimes too gruesome to tell or to read. I’ve read a lot of articles on ritual murders in recent years and ‘ve seen many pictures, yet my stomach was turning when I read the following report on sorcery accusation-related violence. It describes horrible acts of mobs or sometimes individuals which take place not only in Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa, but in countries and regions all over the world. Common characteristics are that people are ill-informed, not or poorly educated, and have limited opportunities and no perspectives for improvement of one’s lives, in combination with a weak rule of law and often a lack of political will, as one well-informed interviewee rightly stated (see below).

The article mentions a few countries in Africa, notably Central African Republic, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, but it does no require much imagination to add other African countries. The belief in witchcraft is widespread on the continent. This is not to say that everybody in Africa believes in witchcraft but the number of superstitious people and people who believe in witchcraft (juju, muti, money rituals) cannot be counted, that’s for sure.

It hurts me deeply to read about sorcery accusation-related violence. The majority of the victims are women and children, notably girls, but sometimes also boys and men are accused of witchcraft and sorcery. On March 20 this year, I posted an article on a gruesome incident which happened in Liberia where a school expelled a K-1 pupil for alleged witchcraft. In July 2020, a 90-year old woman accused of sorcery was lynched by a mob in Ghana. The gruesome torture and killing caused a nationwide outcry. More details in tomorrow’s posting.  
(webmaster FVDK)

In July 2020, a 90-year-old woman was lynched after a traditional priest accused her of being a witch. The deceased, Akua Denteh was slapped, kicked and caned at Kafaba near Salaga in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, Ghana.
The picture is a screenshot from the video showing two women assaulting the old lady, a horrific and repulsive scene which is too disgusting to show or to watch (FVDK).  

‘Sorcery’ still a motive for torture, killing in 21st century

Published: April 28, 2021
By: CGTN – Sim Sim Wissgott

Two women were attacked and tortured in Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby on Sunday, accused of witchcraft. They were interrogated and burned with hot irons to get them to admit to killing a woman who had died earlier in the week, local media reports said.

One managed to escape and alert the police. But this was not an isolated incident in the Pacific island nation.

Local media reported in February that six women had been accused of sorcery. Police managed to free two women in July after they were held and tortured for four days, accused of killing a villager a week earlier by removing his heart.

Attacks like these are so widespread that Papua New Guinea (PNG) actually has a term and acronym for them: sorcery accusation-related violence, or SARV.

While authorities and politicians regularly condemn these as “barbaric acts” and “uncivilized” behavior, SARV continues.

This type of violence is not limited to PNG either. Accusations of sorcery remain a very real threat in many communities around the world and claim dozens – if not hundreds – of lives every year.

‘Ash and powder’

A 53-year-old widow was bludgeoned to death in India’s northeastern Assam state on Saturday in an apparent “witch-hunting” killing.

Other sorcery-related killings in recent months have included a 70-year-old man in eastern Jharkhand state who reportedly practiced exorcism and sold herbal medicines; a family of five, accused of black magic after several people in their village fell ill and died; and a middle-aged man who was beheaded “on suspicion of sorcery” in neighboring Odisha state in December.

Another elderly man in Odisha was killed last month after villagers accused him of witchcraft.

“The deceased used to throw ash and some powder in front of the houses of villagers which raised doubts that he was practicing some witchcraft. In a fit of rage, some youths of the village killed him with stone and hammer and fled the spot after dumping his body in the bushes near the canal,” a police officer told local media.

Reports have emerged in recent months from South Africa, Nigeria, and Nepal of people being beaten, tortured or killed on suspicion of witchcraft. Countries like Tanzania and Ghana have also been fighting SARV for years.

There are no definite figures on how many people fall victim to SARV every year around the world. In many cases, the crimes go unreported as victims fear retribution.

The problem is significant enough that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights held an experts’ conference in 2017 to discuss ways “to end harmful practices related to witchcraft.”

There were 372 anti-sorcery attacks reported between 2013 and 2016 in PNG, according to UK charity Oxfam. In India’s Assam state, a dozen are killed every year, according to local media.

Mob mentality

Although men can be targeted, victims of witchcraft-related violence tend overwhelmingly to be women and girls.

As a result, the issue is often paired with women’s rights and gender equality. Victims are generally among the most vulnerable members of the community. Mob mentality, lack of education and poor policing are also contributing factors.

“Sorcery-related violence stems from poor education, lack of awareness, limited opportunities coupled with deteriorating capacity for law and order and a lack of political will,” PNG’s Oro Province Governor Gari Juffa told The Guardian last year.

There have been reports of people accused of being witches after a member of their community fainted, suffered an epileptic fit, or died without warning.

A woman and her daughter were accused of sorcery in PNG earlier this month and were tortured by relatives after the woman’s husband died of COVID-19 .

Attacks are often brutal, with victims hacked to death, maimed, gang-raped, slashed with knives, burned with hot irons or hit with rocks, leaving them horribly scarred – physically and mentally – for life.

Relatives can also be targeted by association: in the case of the family of five killed in Jharkhand state in February, a middle-aged couple was suspected of witchcraft, but their son, daughter-in-law and five-year-old grandson were also murdered.

Children of alleged witches are especially seen as a threat, human rights campaigners say.

The perpetrators rarely act alone but attack their victims in groups: in the latest case on Sunday in PNG, the two women were attacked and tortured by up to 20 men.

Police often say the attackers’ identities are known to them but communities and survivors may be reluctant to come forward and cooperate with law enforcement, meaning many perpetrators get away with their crime. 

Taking action

Some progress has been seen. The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act was passed in India in 2015, making it a crime to accuse anyone of sorcery. 

The Catholic Church’s Pontifical Mission Societies declared last year August 10 as World Day against Witch Hunts.

PNG repealed its 1971 Sorcery Act in 2013, which sanctioned sorcery-related violence. At the same time, it drafted a Sorcery National Action Plan to raise awareness about the issue and find ways to combat it.

The country even has a hotline now for anyone who may be the target of sorcery accusations. 

The latest cases however have prompted concerns that sorcery-related violence may be once again spreading. While such cases are usually found in the more remote regions of PNG, last weekend’s attack occurred in the capital.

While action plans and strategies have been drafted, funding and effective implementation are still wanting, local officials say.

Source: ‘Sorcery’ still a motive for torture, killing in 21st century

Africa Map

It’s time for Africa to protect its children from the web of ritual killings (2016 article)

The following plea to end ritual killings focuses on children who are targeted in numerous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Vulnerable, innocent children are mutilated and murdered by ruthless and criminal people who want to increase their wealth, health, power or reputation – by all means. The Nigerian author of this article, which dates from 2016 but could have been written yesterday, OmoTola Omolaya, specifically mentions a number of countries notably Botswana, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

I don’t know the author’s reasons to limit himself to aforementioned countries. In each and every African country where ritual murders are committed, also children die at the hands of unscrupulous murderers who very often get away with their ugly crimes.

However, I fully agree with his conclusion: African governments need to act!

Warning: the following article contains graphic details which may shock the reader (webmaster FVDK).

It’s time for Africa to protect its children from the web of ritual killings

Published: February 29, 2016
By: Ventures Africa – Omotola OmoLaya

In 2011, BBC did a documentary on witch craft and ritual killings in Uganda and one of the gory stories was about a three-year old boy found in the outskirts of Uganda lying in a pool of blood. His penis had been cut off by ritualists and he was rushed to the hospital to save his life. While speaking with a BBC correspondent, even though the parents are advocating for the ban of witchcraft in the country, the mother is more concerned about her son’s future. She said, “every time I look at him, I ask myself how his future is going to be as a man without a penis. Also I wonder what the rest of the community is going to look at him with a private part that looks like that of a female.”

Like the little boy, a lot of children have fallen victim to kidnappers and ritual killers. Due to their vulnerability, they are easily abducted on their way to school or heading to fetch water. These children, considered pure, are sacrificed by witch doctors to appease ‘the gods’ and bring a myriad of solutions which include wealth, good health, and fertility among others. Hearts, ears, livers and genitals are considered as key ingredients of the rituals.

Although the BBC documentary was released in 2011, not much has changed in Uganda. Very recently, six cases of mutilation and murder of children were reported by a charity organization during the recent Ugandan elections. The Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM), a charity that cares for survivors of attempted child sacrifice, reported that children were used as good luck sacrifices during this period in order to bring wealth and power.  Though Moses Binoga, coordinator of the anti-trafficking task force at the interior ministry, did not confirm KCM’s report, he agreed that children had been reported missing in the election period.

This shocking revelations show that it is now unsafe to be a child in Africa. Ritual killings is not peculiar to Uganda, it takes place in other African countries such as Liberia, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland. The repeated occurrences of these killings without a penalty is a blatant violation for the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. According to this charter, an individual is entitled to respect for his life and integrity of his person. However, disrespect for a person (children) life thrives in several African country.

Why ritual killings are still prevalent in Africa:

Ritualists are often patronized by the rich and wealthy

In Tanzania, children with albinism are targeted for sacrifices by witch doctors who gets paid by politicians to be successful in their election bids. Also, the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law reports that in Swaziland and Liberia, politicians allegedly commission ritual killings to improve their odds in elections. The same pattern obtains in Uganda as well, where the wealthy pay witch doctors in a bid to expand their fortunes. In Ivory Coast, (where the rate of child abduction is so high that the UNICEF had to intervene) there are speculations that ritual killings by corrupt businessmen and politicians used body parts in ceremonies to confer supernatural powers.

Superstitions, culture and religion.

Africa is still entrenched in dogmas, myth and belief in magic. There is still a prevalence of confidence in charms and witch craft which has been handed down since time immemorial. Ritual killings are culturally acceptable in some parts of South Africa, therefore, the practice is not usually reported by community members. Occultism and other forms of religion permit ritual acts to appease the gods, abate misfortune and seek supernatural help. Many also perform these rituals out of fear of unpleasant spiritual consequences if they falter.

The web of culture, religion and superstition often results in an ethical conflict between protection of human rights and respect for the beliefs and practices of other cultures.

Secrecy

Not many have been convicted of crimes associated with ritual killings in Africa. Due to the coat of secrecy surrounding ritual killings, it makes it difficult to hold the responsible parties accountable and liable for their unlawful actions.

Tag SDGs

A part of the Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations says that the countries should:

  • Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
  • End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

Children are the most vulnerable in any society and it is the duty of leaders all around the world to provide a safe haven for its young. Africa needs to stop neglecting the safety of these innocent children. Its leaders should enact laws that protect them from gruesome murders that cut their lives short even before their prime.

It is time to enforce the African Charter, because although it permits religious practices, it does not favor jeopardizing a human life (under which ritual killings fall). African governments need to hold those responsible for taking human lives accountable. It is time for Africa to protect its children.

Source: Tag SDGs: Its time for Africa to protect its children from the web of ritual killings

Political map of Africa

Superstition and witchcraft, reasons to dissolve a marriage (Nigeria)

I have hesitated to present here the following reports since there’s no kidnapping, mutilation or murder involved, hence no violation of human rights. However, I decided to include these articles for three reasons.

First, to demonstrate the pervasive existence of the belief in superstition in society, not only among ‘ordinary’ (read: uneducated) people but also among highly educated people such as lawyers and even judges. Apparently, the latter consider the belief in witchcraft enough reason to disband many-year-old marriages if a couple accuses one another of witchcraft. It is important to emphasize that it’s in this context – belief in witchcraft – that ritualistic activities such as murders, kidnappings, mutilation of victims and grave robbing occur. Hence, the second reason to include these reports is that the belief in witchcraft, even if it does not culminate in murder or another heinous crime, lies at the basis of ritualistic killings (known as ‘money rituals’ in Nigeria), which terrorize the population and form a serious and intolerable infringement upon their basic human right to live without fear. And thirdly, last but not least, this site is not only focusing on ritual killings but also on witchcraft and superstition, after all closely related (webmaster FVDK).

My husband wants to use me for ritual – Woman tells court

Published: March 5, 2021
By: Daily Post, Nigeria – Nsikak Nseyen 

A Customary Court in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State has dissolved a six-year-old marriage between a trader, Kaosara Okeowo and her husband, Lateef, over alleged threat to life.

The mother of two had told the court that she was in danger because her husband wants to use her for ritual.

Delivering judgment, Chief Ademola Odunade, the President of the court, dissolved the marriage in the interest of peace.

NAN reports that Odunade awarded custody of the two children to Okeowo.

The arbitrator ordered Lateef to pay N10,000 as child support.

Testifying, Okeowo said, “My Lord, things are not going on well. He requests for unusual and personal things from me.”

But Lateef denied the allegations.

”She can go if she wants to leave. I want the court to order her to return his cooking utensils, clothes and a big ram in her custody,” he said.

However, Lateef’s father argued that his son was not a ritualist and that his daughter-in-law was such an opportunist who had seen another man with more money.

Source: My husband wants to use me for ritual – Woman tells court

And:

My husband uses “charms” on me during sex – Woman tells court

Published: February 5, 2021
By: Daily Post, Nigeria – Don Silas

A businesswoman, Bukola Ejalonibu, on Friday, told a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan to dissolve her 23-year-old marriage to her estranged husband, Kolawole because he uses charms on her during sex.

In her petition, Bukola prayed the court to grant her prayer for divorce because: ”my husband uses charms on me before sleeping with me.

“My lord, my life is in danger. Every time he uses the charms, I faint and have to be hospitalised. Kolawole is a reckless drunk and can kill me,”.

She alleged that Kolawole threw her things out of the house and destroyed her supermarket.

In his defence, Kolawale said that his wife was an ingrate.

”She wants me dead so that she can inherit my property.

“I opened a multi-million Naira supermarket for her. I give her money. My wife is promiscuous,” he alleged.

After listening to the testimonies, the president of the court, Chief Ademola Odunade dissolved the marriage.

Odunade granted custody of the first two children to Kolawole and the
last two to Ejalonibu.

He ordered the respondent to pay N10,000 as monthly feeding allowance to Ejalonibu.

Source: My husband uses “charms” on me during sex – Woman tells court

And:

Man narrates how wife asked witch doctor to tie him spiritually, milk him dry

Published: January 14, 2020,
By: Daily Post, Nigeria – Annie Nwosu

A Customary Court sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, on Thursday dissolved a 15-year-old marriage between a mother of two, Olubunmi Faseyitan, and her husband, Kolawole, over ”witchcraft” suspicion.

Kolawole, who prayed for the dissolution of his 15-year-old marriage on grounds that his wife was into black magic, said he did everything possible to please her. but it was not enough.

“I abandoned the home to her after she confessed to me,” he said.

He also presented the recorded conversation between his wife and the alleged witch doctor as exhibit before the court.

In her defense, Faseyitan told the court that she never wished death on her husband.

According to her, “all I wanted was to him in bondage and make him sick, until he serves his purpose.”

”I only told the witch doctor to do it in such a way that people would be convinced that his second wife was responsible for the calamity that befell him,” she said.

Delivering Judgement, President of the court, Chief Ademola Odunade, dissolved the marriage after Faseyitan admitted that she asked a witch doctor to ”tie her husband spiritually to milk him dry”.

He said that he dissolved the union in the interest of peace and granted custody of the two children to Faseyitan.

Odunade also ordered Kolawole to pay N6,000 monthly for the children’s upkeep, NAN reports.

Source: Man narrates how wife asked witch doctor to tie him spiritually, milk him dry

And:

Court dissolves 10-year-old marriage over alleged money ritual

Published: November 24, 2020
By: Daily Post, Nigeria – Annie Nwosu

A Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, on Tuesday dissolved a 10-year-old marriage between one Basirat Adeyoyin and estranged husband, Adeyoyin Niyi over attempted money ritual.
Basirat told the court that she was calling it quit with her husband because, “he was making desperate effort to use her for money ritual.’’

She said that she first noticed this when her husband did not show any regret after she lost her last pregnancy due to much sexual activities with him.

“Suddenly in 2018, Niyi came home one night and told me that he received a message that he must have a seven-day marathon sex with me without a gap of any day.

“I read no meaning to it and I allowed him until there was a problem.

“I was already carrying a three month-old pregnancy before that time and on the second day of the marathon sex, I lost the pregnancy.

“I took care of myself in the hospital only for Niyi to come home to start requesting for the continuation of the seven-day marathon sex even when I was still bleeding.

“Then, I consulted my parents and relatives and from every indication, we discovered that he was trying to use me for money ritual, ”Basirat said.

Her husband, Niyi in his defense said his wife was too troublesome for him and was a careless housewife.

“Even if this court would dissolve my marriage, I pray to be given custody of the two children because Basirat cannot take care of them.

“One of the young boys in our neighbourhood raped our first child and she did not tell me about the incident.

“My Lord, it was because she often overstay in the market that such a thing could happen,” Niyi added.

Delivering judgment, the President of the court, Chief Ademola Odunade said that the court would not watch until there was anarchy before making the right decision.

Odunade, therefore, dissolved the union between Basirat and Niyi in the interest of peace and tranquility.

He awarded custody of the two children produced by the union to the plaintiff and ordered the respondent to pay N10, 000 as the children’s monthly feeding allowance, NAN reports.

Source: Court dissolves 10-year-old marriage over alleged money ritual

Zambia: witchdoctor claims police offered him money and a house to implicate two soldiers indicted for the ritual killing of seven Lusaka men in 2016

The trial wil start tomorrow, on December 29, 2020 (webmaster FVDK).

Suspect tells court police offered K300,000, a house for him to implicate 2 soldiers indicted for murder of 7 Lusaka men

Published: December 23, 2020
By: The Mast On Line, Mwaka Ndawa – Zambia

A WITCH doctor has told the Lusaka High Court that senior investigation officers at Lusaka Central Police offered him a house and K300,000 to frame two soldiers, Lucky Siame and Elvis Nyanga, in the murder of seven men in Lusaka.

Lewis Chishimba Bwalya of Kalundu, Lusaka West, told justice Florence Lengalenga that the police charged him with seven counts of murder because he refused to connive with them in framing Siame and Nyanga for the ritual killings that hit Lusaka in 2016.

In this matter, Bwalya is jointly charged with Siame, Christopher Kasapo, a Zambia Air Force office assistant and Elvis Nyanga, for the alleged murder of seven men between March 5 and April 17, 2016 by removing their hearts and mutilating their ears, and male organs.

In his defence, Bwalya narrated that on April 17, whilst he was sleeping at his home, he heard a knock on the door to which he asked who it was and someone responded they were police officers.

“I dressed up and went to check who was at the door and indeed I noticed it was the police. They asked if I was Lewis Chishimba Bwalya and I confirmed and they told me they had come to pick me up. I accompanied them to Matero Police Station where I was detained for 30 minutes and later taken to Northmead Police,” Bwalya narrated.

He told court that at 10:00 hours on a Sunday, he was taken to Lusaka Central Police Station where police officers requested him to assist them.

“They started telling me that ‘we want you to help us as police, we should work together and put our minds together. We want you to assist us. There are suspects we have apprehended, we will show you these suspects so that you know them and you should assist us at court’. They also told me that because I’m a witch doctor, I should tell the court that I gave the suspects charms for cleansing evil spirits. I told them that my job as a witch doctor was that of selling charms and not for cleansing,” Bwalya narrated.

“I told them that I can’t stand as a witness against people I don’t know. They got me and put me in a cell. After 10 minutes, they called the captain of the cells. They brought another person and I heard them say this person should not mix with me. The person was badly beaten and was handcuffed and limping. I only came to know this person at court as Lwambazi Mumbo.”

Bwalya said on May 9, 2016, he was taken to Woodlands Police Station where the police officers read a statement to him in English and asked him to sign it.

Bwalya said he told the police officers that he could not sign the statement because he does not understand English.

“They told me it was for the record’s sake that I sign the documents to which I complied as I had the thought of going home,” Bwalya said.

He recounted that on May 29, the police officers picked him up from the cells and took him to force headquarters for interrogations.

“The boss offered some chips and a drink (Fanta) and asked me to be calm. After I finished eating, they (police) asked me to be a state witness and testify against the two soldiers, Siame and Nyanga and frame them for murdering people in Lusaka’s Zingalume area,” Bwalya said.

“They offered to buy me a house in Kasama and a K300,000. I refused to be a false witness because I am a Christian but the police officers insisted that I testify against the soldiers and they would tell me what to say before court. They said that I should tell the court that Siame and Nyanga came to me for exorcism but I refused because I didn’t want to sin in the eyes of God as it was a heavy burden.”

Bwalya said the police officers decided to give him three days to think about their proposal and after three days they asked him if he had made a decision but one of the officers said he was a fool and was wasting their time to which he was later detained.

He said before he was apprehended, Jabes told him that information had circulated that people were being murdered and their body parts were being sold to Indians and Chinese in exchange for dollars.

Bwalya said he decided to inform his neighbour Kasapo about what was going on.

“Kasapo was my neighbour in Zingalume. We used to live in the same yard while I knew Siame and Nyanga when we were jointly charged. I am asking this court to consider my evidence,” said Bwalya.

In cross-examination by state advocate Frank Sikazwe, Bwalya denied selling male organs saying Jabe was the one who informed him about the killings and he informed the police.

He denied being cautioned by Lwambazi Mumbo, a witch doctor, against killing his uncle in case they met him anywhere.

The matter comes up on December 29.

Source: Suspect tells court police offered K300,000, a house for him to implicate 2 soldiers indicted for murder of 7 Lusaka men

Uganda: the country where sacrificing children is a thriving business (2017 article)

Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga plays a leading role in the fight against child sacrifice in Uganda. He runs Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, a Christian organization focusing on education, health, economic empowerment and protection of children. 

KCM was founded in the community of Kyampisi in 2009. At the time, there were several cases of child sacrifice; many homesteads had shrines and practiced witchcraft. 

Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga says the mostly gruesome murdering of innocent children happens almost each month. Child sacrifice in Uganda is a widespread phenomenon and crime. In the past I have posted various articles on these cruel practices which are based on superstition and the unscrupulous pursuing of more wealth, prestige or power. E.g. on October 6 and February 28 of the current year and on August 3,  (two posts) and February 6, 2019. The postings partly overlap the article below.

The following article presents various murder cases and interviews with bereaved parents. Fortunately, some children managed to escape from their agressors, like e.g. Allan Ssembatya. His horrifying experience is told below. 

Warning: the following article contains graphic illustrations including a video and description of gruesome ritualistic practices (webmaster FVDK).

Still from video shown below. Two men attacked Allan Ssembatya on his way home from school. The attackers attempted to slice his head with a machete but Allan survived miraculously. The scar is clearly visible.

Uganda: the country where sacrificing children is a thriving business

KAMPALA, Uganda – Each year hundreds of Ugandan children are kidnapped and murdered as part of a thriving human sacrifice business.

A Christian pastor is now teaming up with police and politicians to stop this brutal practice.

Screenshot – the video does not play. The original article shows the video (see ‘Source’).
WARNING: Some of the content in this report is disturbing and will be unsuitable for younger viewers.

Published: March 23, 2017
By: CBN News, The Christian Perspective – George Thomas

It’s a little after 2 in the morning. About an hour’s drive south of Kampala.  

CBN News has joined undercover detectives, armed police and a pastor hunting for a witch doctor accused of kidnapping and killing children.

“Witch doctors believe that when you kidnap a child you get wealth, you get protection.”

Brutal Ritual of Child Sacrifice

Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga leads the search. He runs Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, a Christian effort to stamp out child sacrifice in Uganda.  He describes the witch doctors’ brutal ritual.

“When they get the child, most times they cut the neck, they take the blood out, they take the tissue, they cut the genitals or any other body organs that they wish that the spirits want.”

A few hours in, the trail for the killer goes cold.

Pastor Peter says these gruesome crimes happen almost each month.

“The problem is increasing and many children are killed, and there are very few actually that survive, most of them die.”

Rachel Kaseggu knows the heartbreak of losing a child.

“I had high hopes and dreams for Clive,” Kaseggu told CBN News as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Kaseggu’s 3-year-old son Clive disappeared June 2, 2015 while playing in the backyard of their home.

“It was around 10 in the morning when we noticed he was nowhere to be found,” Kaseggu said.

CBN News met Kaseggu the day police told her what happened to her son.

“I’ve never even heard of child sacrifice, I didn’t even know what that phrase meant.”

Superstition and Desire to Get Rich Drive Child Sacrifice

Detective Emmanuel Mafundo took us to the spot, not too far from his home, where they found Clive’s remains in this pit toilet filled with human feces.

Mafundo said the key suspect turned out to be Kaseggu’s neighbor, a wealthy businessman who allegedly hired two men to kidnap and mutilate Clive’s body, believing the act would bring “good luck” to his new hotel project.

Detective Mafundo said the suspect paid the equivalent of $1,400 for Clive’s life.

“I found it so queer how someone, because of superstition, can be able to sacrifice a three-year-old kid,” Mafundo, a Uganda police superintendent told CBN News.

Child sacrifice in Uganda is such a serious and widespread problem that the government has even set up an anti-child sacrifice and human trafficking task force.

Chief investigator Moses Binoga heads up the agency.

He says that in addition to decapitation and genital mutilation, witch doctors often slice the child’s tongue and mix it with herbs for special powers.

“The tongue is used, they believe, to silence enemies,” Binoga described.

Mike Chibita is Uganda’s top law enforcement official, the equivalent of America’s Attorney General. He says superstition and the desire to get rich quick contribute to high child sacrifice rates in his country.

“The connection is that these witch doctors come and tell people who want to get rich that in order to get rich you need to sacrifice human blood,” said Chibita, who serves as Uganda’s director of public prosecutions.

Three Boys Who Survived

Best friends Kanani Nankunda, George Mukisa and Allan Ssembatya are fortunate to be alive, but bear the physical and emotional scars of their past. The three are child sacrifice survivors.

A few years back, Kanani and his seven-year-old sister were attacked in the bush.

He has a ten-inch scar on the back of his neck where the witch doctor tried to drain his blood.

“I fainted and when I regained consciousness, I found my sister dead with her head missing,” Nankunda described to us in a low voice.

Two men attacked Allan Ssembatya on his way home from school.

“I tried to scream for my parents but my voice was not strong enough for them to hear me,” Ssembatya said.

They stabbed his neck, sliced his head with a machete then castrated him. Allan remained in a coma for two months after his miraculous rescue.

George Mukisa’s mother found him lying in a pool of blood after a man castrated his privates with a blunt knife.

Doctors had to reconstruct his genitals with skin grafted from his forearm.  

The boys say they encourage each other to look past their physical challenges.

“God is helping us in many different ways,” Ssembatya said. “When we think about what happened to us, we just pray and ask God that this would never happen to anybody else.”

The three boys are now under Pastor Peter’s care.

Long-Term Care for Survivors

Kyampisi Childcare Ministries is the only organization in the country providing long-term financial and medical care for survivors of child sacrifice.

“We want to see that the life of a child who has survived is supported, that they are socially able to stand and heal from the injuries, and that they can have a life after that,” said Pastor Sewakiryanga.

Screenshot – the video does not play. The original article shows the video (see ‘Source’).

He also works with Ugandan lawmakers like Komuhangi Margaret to help draft specific laws targeting perpetrators of child sacrifice.
 
“Every Ugandan must wake and and say, ‘No to sacrificing our children’,” said Margaret, a member of Uganda’s parliament. “Our children are the future of this country.”

Rachel Kaseggu says life without Clive will never be the same. Still, she has a message for the men who brutally murdered her 3-year-old son:

“Because of my faith in Jesus, I believe in second chances, and I would give it to them because there’s nothing I can do to bring Clive back. My message to them is: confess your sins and come to the Lord. Because when you come to the Lord, he will forgive your sins!”

Source: EXCLUSIVE: The Country Where Sacrificing Children Is a Thriving Business