Evangelist and 4 others arrested for detaining alleged ‘witches’ in Ghana (Photos)

A Magistrate Court sitting in Bolgatanga, has remanded into prison custody a self-styled Evangelist, and four others for accusing and detaining three accused witches in Duusi, a suburb of Tongo in the Talensi district of the Upper East Region of North Ghana.

This comes after four members of the same family were on Wednesday remanded for the lynching of an alleged ‘witch’ at Yenboka Kenna, a town in Pelungu, Ghana .

The five suspects identified as Evangelist Akwesi Ali Baba 29, Douk Sapark 30, Messiah Somlate 25, Mba Gurang 40, Malpayah Mbayin 27 and one Tarabon, currently at large were arrested and subsequently arraigned on Thursday, 15th June 2017.

They accused Bayeta Kiimbey, Ateensage Ziyaaba and Sagteg Yamboreya of witchcraft.

The court held that on 6th June 2017, the Evangelist Akwesi Ali Baba accused the complainants of being ‘witches’ and based on that, the accused persons were attacked and threatened with death by some irate persons led by Tarebon.

The accused persons managed to escape and reported the matter to the chief of Gaare, Naab Yamboreya Gbmere.

The chief Naab Yamboreya, kept the accused persons at his palace for safety for three days, before calling on the police to rescue them.

Following the chief's decision, the four suspects including the one at large unlawfully entered the rooms of the accused persons and destroyed properties in search of supposed witch-pots and other items they believed were used to bewitch people as claimed by the evangelist.

They were later arrested by the police and arraigned.

The state prosecutor, Mr. Gilbert Boateng Addae, prayed the court to remand the suspects into prison custody to enable police complete investigations for their trial.

The presiding judge of the Bolgatanga  Magistrate Court, His Worship Osman Abdul-Hakin, granted the request of the prosecutor and remanded the suspects into prison custody. 

According to Citi News, they are to appear in court on the 30th of June 2017.