Village chief, 5 others arrested over bloody attack of suspected witch

On August 30, 2020, 8:30 PM

Haruna Jebuni, 58, the chief of Sumpini, a community in the Savannah Region and five others have been apprehended for attacking a 50-year-old woman accused of witchcraft.

The others are Zakaria Abdul Karim, 30; Shaibu Iddrisu, 35; Atta Alhassan, 57; Salugu Isahaku alias Orulanaa, 45.

They were arrested on Sunday, August 30, a day after the community members raided the home of the victim.

All the suspects have been detained for interrogation over their alleged involvement in the attack of Maria Ibrahim who barely escaped being killed at her home.

She, however, could not escape cutlass attacks which left deep wounds on her head, hands and a finger on her left arm almost being chopped off.

But for some good Samaritans who intervened and rushed her to a post in Sumpini, she would have been killed just like 90-year-old, Mariama Akua Denteh, at Kafaba in the same region.

The country is yet to come to terms over the murder of the old woman less than two months ago and faced with another unlawful humiliation of another woman.

Maria was in the company of her children and sick husband when the attackers stormed her home shortly after the Bugum (fire) festival in the town at about 10pm.

She is currently at the Damongo Government Hospital where she is receiving treatment.

Narrating the incident, Maria said: “They entered my house, and said I was a witch with the intention of killing the sick person. One used a machete to hit my head and another slapped me and then a fell. They slashed me mercilessly on my hands, head and other parts of my body”.

She continued: “They said six of us want to kill the sick boy and when they went to the homes of the others. They did not find them. However, I have not done anything, so I was just going about my activities at home when they pounced on me”.

She denied the allegations, but the young men did not spare her until some other people rushed to rescue her.

Several ministers of state, legislators and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have condemned the act.

Accused women who are lucky not be to physically harmed are banished to go and live in witch camps.

The opposition NDC has promised to shut all witch camps in the Northern part of Ghana, where such accused women are forced to stay for the rest of their lives.