Kafaba lynching: Amnesty Int’l reiterates calls for arrest of perpetrators after visit

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Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy organization, has visited the family house of late Akua Denteh, the 90-year-old woman lynched for being allegedly a witch.

The delegation also participated in the three-day funeral rites of the deceased.

Country Director of Amnesty Robert Akoto Amofoa reiterated the urgency for the arrest of the perpetrators.

“The issue is serious not only for the deceased and her family but also women in Ghana who are going through such abuses.”

He added: “It is wrong to endorse such an act in any way and as an organization, we call on the security agencies, Ministry of Gender and other institutions to ensure that the family gets justice for people to believe that the laws of the country work.”

He called on the security to ensure the perpetrators are identified and brought to book.

Denteh Akua, 90, was lynched at Kafaba on Thursday, July 23.

The youth of the community complained about under-development in the area and attributed it to activities of witchcraft.

This prompted the youth to seek audience with the chief of the community, Seidu Yahaya, asking him to invite a spiritualist into the community.

On Tuesday, a supposed spiritualist was invited to the community.

She accused the deceased and 16 others including the wife of the Kafaba chief of being responsible for the plight of the community.

Most of them were subjected to torture and confessed to have witchcraft.

But late Akua Denteh stood her grounds that she is not a witch.

She was subsequently brutalized, leading to her death.

Police are yet to make any arrest.

The family of the deceased have since called for the arrest of the chief.

They alleged he sanctioned the invitation of the spiritualist into the community.

This, the chief, has since denied.

Meanwhile, police in Salaga have invited the chief of Kafaba,  Seidu Yahaya, the Assemblyman for the area and some youth to help in investigations.

The Inspector General of Police, James Oppong Boanuh, in a statement said homicide experts have been dispatched from the National Headquarters to the Savannah Region to help search for the murderers of the nonagenarian.

The suspects, according to the statement, are one Sanja, who is said to have hosted Hajia Filipina, the Spiritualist.

Others are one Aliu, a teacher, Bumaye, Ashley and Manafo.

By Christopher Amoako|3news.com|Savannah Region|Ghana