60-Year-Old Woman Shot Dead Over Witchcraft Accusations

On September 25, 2023, 3:22 PM

A 60-year-old woman, Musah Azaratu Poanaa, has been shot dead by two young men in Janga, in the West Mamprusi Municipality, for allegedly trying to bewitch a resident in the community.

Information gathered indicates that the men who shot Azaratu were sons of the putative target of the supposed bewitchment attempt.

The daughter of the deceased, Musah Asana, said she was in the room with her siblings when the assailants came into their house and started firing warning shots.

“They were two. One gave a warning shot and brought my mother out [from the room] and shot her,” Asana recalled.

“They said my mother was a witch. Today [24 September], they killed my mother, but it was yesterday [23 September] that they came to the house and said my mother was going to kill their father, so because of that, they will also kill my mother,” she added.

The two men have been identified as Abila and Fatau.

According to Asana, she has reported the case to the police, but no arrests have been made.

“They have not arrested them yet. They went to their house, and they ran away. I just want them [the police] to arrest them and jail them for life,” she added.

This is happening despite a ban on witchcraft accusations.

The Parliament of Ghana passed the long-awaited bill to proscribe witchcraft accusations, which seeks to criminalise the practice of declaring, accusing, naming, or labelling people as witches.

This comes after concerted efforts by numerous stakeholders to combat the ongoing social menace of witchcraft accusations, which primarily target the poor, older, and widowed women.

Story By Edinam Sablah