North East Region: Woman, 60, shot dead over witchcraft accusation

The incident happened on Sunday (24 September) after the woman was accused of trying to bewitch a man called Sumani in the Janga community

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, locals have said.

According to eyewitnesses, the woman was killed by the men believed to be sons of the man that the deceased was allegedly trying to bewitch.

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. So, one gave a warning shot and brought my mother out [from the room] and shot her,” Asana told Asaase News.

“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,” Asana added.

She is calling on the police to arrest the two young men identified as Abila and Fatau.

“They’ve 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.

The police have declined comment on the matter.

Ghana’s parliament has passed a bill to protect people accused of witchcraft, making it a crime to abuse them or send them away from communities.

The new law was suggested after a 90-year-old woman was lynched in Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region in July 2020, drawing condemnation from local and international rights groups.