5 Arrested over lynching of 90yr old Akua Denteh

• Posted on July 30, 2020July 30, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Police have arrested five suspects believed to have taken part in the lynching of Akua Denteh, a 90-year-old woman, who was accused of being a witch at Kafaba in the Savannah Region.

The arrests were made by a special team of police personnel dispatched from Accra.

The suspects were handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Savannah Regional Police Command at Damongo.

The five are expected to be arraigned within the week.

In an interview with Citi News, son of the late Akua Denteh, Dominic Mahama, who was excited about the latest arrests, said the family was still demanding justice for their mother.

“Five people have been arrested so far. We thank them [the police] so much. Maybe through them, we can get the actual culprits who did that,” he said.

The Savannah Regional Police Command had earlier arrested the Chief of Kafaba. Zackaria Yahaya, over the lynching.

The main suspects following the lynching appear to be a traditional priestess, who is said to have fingered Akua Denteh as a witch and led the lynching, and two others.

Aside the main suspects in the lynching, the victim’s family maintained that the chief had some knowledge of the activities of the woman who singled Akua Denteh out with the witchcraft claims.

The police put up a bounty of GHS2,000 for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

The incident was captured on camera and went viral sparking public outrage and condemnation of the culture of witchcraft accusations.

-Citi