Soothsayer involved in lynching of 90-year-old woman arrested

On August 4, 2020, 11:25 AM

The soothsayer who led the cruel attacks on the 90-year-old woman accused of witchcraft in the Savannah Region, has finally been arrested by the police.

Sirina Fatima, was fished out of her hideout at Yeji in the Bono Region, the police confirmed.

Joy News reported that the prime suspect is in the custody of Salaga Police.

This brings to eight, the number of people arrested in connection with the heinous crime that cause public uproar.

On July 31, her accomplice, , Latifa Bumaye, was also picked up at Kejewu Bator, a fishing community along the Volta lake.

The two suspects were seen captured in a viral video repeatedly assaulting the nonagenarian who later died at home.

Three days after Bumaye was captured, she was remanded in police custody by the Bole District Magistrate Court.

She is to reappear after 17 days together with the other five people who were earlier arrested in connection to the death of the nonagenarian.

She has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. But the court is yet to take her plea.

Bumaye, who appeared in court without a lawyer, in an earlier interview, had denied beating the 90-year-old Akua Denteh.

On the day she was arrested, she told the police “I had no idea what I was doing. I don’t even remember beating my grandmother.”

Five days later, the ring leader in the incident also ran out of luck and is likely to be put before court on Wednesday.

The deceased, Akua Denteh, a fortnight ago was tortured and killed after she was accused of witchcraft.

Five others persons have also been remanded in connection to the crime. The five are Haruna Aness, 34; Issifa Tanko, 35; Shaibu Muntala, 29; Sulemana Ali, 35 and Issifa Zakyibo, 32.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and have been remanded in police custody to reappear before the court.

The Savannah Regional Police Commander, DCOP Enoch Adutwum Bediako, said investigations are still ongoing into the gruesome murder of the frail 90-year-old.

Kafaba chief granted bail

The chief of Kafaba, Zackaria Yahaya who was earlier arrested has been granted bail.

According to the police, the five other suspects in their statements said the chief had no hand in the murder of Akua Denteh.

They said the chief had asked them to send the priestess out of the township when they introduced her to him before they beat the older woman to death.

“The youth did not agree with the chief and went on to do what they did and this unfortunate thing happened… All the five said the chief didn’t agree with what they were doing and therefore he was not part of what they were doing.

“Based on that, we have to grant the chief bail pending further investigations…He spent the night there because we got the suspects the following day,” DCOP Bediako said.