Nine individuals have been remanded by the Bongo District Court in the Upper East Region for their alleged involvement in the maltreatment of 61-year-old Ayidaana Abotisei, who is accused of being a witch.
The accused include pastors aged 19to 25, a lecturer from Gbewaa College of Education, and other community members.
Joseph Aduko, the son of Abotisei, spoke to Asaase News, demanding justice for his mother.
Joseph Aduko, a physician assistant at the Builsa South District Hospital, recounted that on 25 July 2024, he received information that his mother had been accused of witchcraft by an unidentified young woman who had been seeking prayers from a group of young pastors.
Initially, Aduko thought the situation would pass without further incident, but to his shock, his mother was taken to an unnamed community in Burkina Faso, where she was forced to confess to being a witch.
“Some young pastors, ranging in age from 19 to 25, arrived in our community and were received by the chief. They chose a primary school as their location for prayers. I first heard about the issue on 25 July. I called a junior relative who is a lecturer at Biwa Training College and informed him of the situation. I told him that I was hearing reports that some pastors were accusing my mother of being a witch.”
“It was the junior relative, known as Assah or Pastor Assah, who had arranged for these pastors. They are staying at our house and performing various activities.”
“According to them, they have been praying with several young girls who are allegedly manifesting as witches. The girls claim that my mother is responsible for their supposed witchcraft,” he added.
Aduko explained that his mother was eventually brought to the Adaboya chief’s palace. He also described the difficulties he and the Ghana Police Service faced while trying to rescue his mother from the chief’s palace.
“The following day, I quickly went to the police station and reported the case. The police were making arrangements, but unbeknownst to them, the chief had already summoned my mother to the palace. She was kept in a room with no windows and locked inside.”
“I was informed that there were even pronouncements that she should be killed that night. When I heard this, I immediately mobilised the police, and we proceeded to Adaboya.”
“Upon arriving at Adaboya, we went to the Chief House, where we found thousands of people gathered. It took about 15 police officers and more than an hour to rescue my mother. The chief and his people insisted they would never release her.”
“The police informed them that they were there solely to rescue the woman. The chief questioned whether the police had informed Bongo Naba before coming. The police responded that they were not working with Bongo Naba but were acting on orders from their commander to rescue the woman.”
“After we successfully rescued my mother, as I was holding her, the crowd started chanting insults. They poured water on us, threw stones, and sang derogatory songs, all in the presence of the police. The police can attest to this.”
Aduko revealed that many people had approached him to persuade him to drop the court case and had also attempted to influence the police investigation.
The individuals who were arrested are expected to reappear in court 15 August 2024.
Reporting by Mark Smith in the Upper East Region
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