The Bolgatanga Magistrate Court has remanded into police custody five suspects for allegedly lynching a 67-year-old woman accused of being a witch at Yenboka Kenna, a town in Pelungu in the Nabdam Distrcit of the Upper East Region
The five have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The suspects are Gbambil Sore, Kofi Pale, Mba Sore, Timbila Sore and Samuel Sore.
The five suspects were among 63 persons rounded up in a police swoop on 10th June, 2017, to assist police investigations ascertain the killers of the deceased.
In court on Tuesday, the prosecutor, Inspector Gilbert Boteng Addae, prayed the court to remand the plaintiffs into police custody to enable the them complete their investigations into the matter.
He argued that, the plaintiffs to some extent had knowledge about the occurrences of events leading to the lynching of the deceased, but were only willing to give information on the condition that, the chief of Pelungu Naab Sebil Sore (IV) returns from Geneva where he is currently attending a program.
He added that, the plaintiffs may interfere in investigations if granted bail, and thus prayed the court to remand them into police custody for two weeks.
The Prosecutor narrated that “the deceased Yenboka Kenna, a widow of four children on the 28th May, 2017, closed from Church and went to the Pelungu market to transact business at a shed where she plaits hair for living; but around 5:00pm, she was accused of being a ‘witch’ and was escorted to the Pelungu chief’s palace where she was interrogated by the chief and his elders.”
He added that “in the course of interrogation, words went around the village and attracted huge crowd at the chief’s palace, so two brothers of the deceased were informed about the incident and reported at the chief’s palace.”
“The chief interrogated the deceased for over 4 hours and asked the brothers of the deceased to take the deceased home; but they pleaded with the chief to allow the deceased pass the night at the palace because of the behavior of the irate crowd, who were bent on attacking the deceased. But the chief said his palace was not a witch camp, and thus released the deceased to her brothers to take her home. But they were confronted by the irate crowd and could not save the deceased. The deceased was found dead the following day with multiple injuries on the head and deep cuts on both legs,” the prosecutor added.
However, counsel for the plaintiffs, Anthony Namoo, prayed the court to admit to bail the first suspect Gbambil Sore based on grounds of ill-health.
He also questioned why the fifth suspect, Samuel Sore, an employee of the Controller and Accountant Generals Department, who resides and works in Bolga, and was not home (Pelungu) on the day the incident occurred; but was only arrested the following day could have been remanded.
But the Magistrate court presided over by His Worship Osman Abdul-Hakin, denied the request, and remanded the five suspects into police custody to enable police complete their investigations.
The case has thus been adjourned to the 28th of June, 2017.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
