Ritual Murder: Fetish priest, two others remanded for allegedly beheading bolt driver

Three persons have been remanded into police custody for the murder of a 33-year-old Bolt driver Israel Agyei Manu at Feyiase Akoyem in the Ashanti Region.

The lifeless body of the deceased, who doubled as the headteacher of Atonsu-based Rogel Montesorri Basic School, was found by residents on Sunday, July 4, with his head cut off.

The deceased owned a Toyota Vitz vehicle with registration number GE 3170-21. He used the car on a part-time basis as a driver for the ride-hailing company, Bolt.

The three suspects slapped with murder charges are Rashid Ibrahim, a 32-year-old labourer; Richard Addai, a 35-year-old assistant fetish priest and a 22-year-old labourer, Anthony Sekum.

The magistrate who presided over the case, Francis Asakiah, remanded the three into police custody to assist with investigations.

The prosecutor Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Eric Akwaboah, also informed the court that the main suspect, identified as Black Akasha, a fetish priest, is currently on the run.

The three are to reappear before the court on 22nd July 2021.

Before Thursday’s court proceedings, one of the suspects, Rashid Ibrahim, confessed to the crime and added that he was motivated by riches.

According to the police, he was promised wealth by some people who instructed him to get a human head for ritual sacrifice.

“We had a tip-off that he was the one behind the killing of this gentleman, so we quickly apprehended him, ”ASP Godwin Ahianyo, Public Relations Officer of Ashanti Regional Police Command, disclosed.

“He mentioned some persons to be those that lured him; that they told him that if he wants to make money, he should go and get the head of a human being and bring it so that they could help him get enough money”.

The suspect is said to have denied the crime but later “led police to the scene and then also where he had hidden the machete he used in committing the crime, and so police retrieved the machete as well.”

The police said the suspect hired the services of the deceased to transport some speakers.

However, the suspect pulled a machete and slashed the driver on the way to the destination.

The head of the deceased had multiple machete cuts.