The Chief of Sumpini, a community around Damongo in the Savannah region has been arrested for his alleged role in the attack of a woman accused of witchcraft.
The 58 year old chief identified as Haruna Jebuni was arrested on Sunday along with other four suspects following a gruesome attack on Mariam Ibrahim with machetes over suspicion that she is a witch.
According to the police, the other apprehended persons are Zakaria Abdul Karim, 30 years, Shaibu Iddrisu, 35years, Atta Alhassan 57 years, Salugu Isahaku alias Orulanaa aged 45 years.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has warned against such acts of impunity adding that “Police hereby cautions that any person(s) who takes the law into their hands would be arrested and dealt with according to law”.
Reports say Mariam Ibrahim was accosted at her backyard and accused by a young man, who was among a crowd of people, of bewitching him after she stepped out of her house to ascertain the reason behind the noisy crowd that was approaching her house.
Though the woman denied the accusation, the irate crowd went ahead to attack her with machetes and vandalizing her properties in the process.
The woman believed to be in her late 50s sustained deep wounds following the attacks by the group. The incident happened around 10:00 pm on Saturday, August 29, 2020.
Reports say, she was among four women who were accused of being witches but the other three women managed to escape leaving only Mariam who was nearly lynched.
In a video sighted on Facebook, the woman is seen wailing with deep cuts on her upper arm and on her fingers suspected to be inflicted on her with machetes.
Narrating her ordeal, Mariam said she pleaded with her attackers to stop torturing her but they paid no attention to her plea.
Mariam is currently receiving treatment at the Damongo Government hospital after she was rushed there by some individuals.
This incident comes barely a month ago when a 90-year-old woman was lynched at Kafaba in same region over accusation of being a witch.
Akua Denteh was subjected to severe beatings and torture till she gave up the ghost after a supposed witch doctor accused her of being behind the woes of the community.
The police has arrested all the suspects who allegedly played a role in the lynching of Akua Denteh.
One of the suspects who was captured in a video beating the old woman claimed she was under a spell and was not aware of her actions after police smoked her out from her hideout.
