A BUSINESSMAN who allegedly attempted to sacrifice his daughter for money ritual purposes has been remanded into police custody by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Centre Court in Accra.
Evans Kyekyeku Oppong, was arrested on June 3, 2022, after he allegedly took his 11-year-old daughter to a herbalist at Oyibi Kom in Accra for her to be killed in a bid to become rich.
He has been charged with a preliminary charge of preparation to commit a crime, to wit murder, and his plea has been reserved by the court.
Court documents state that the suspect had gone to the herbalist for what it described as ‘spiritual cleansing’ to avert his financial difficulties following his return from the Netherlands.
The suspect, per court documents, was initially ordered to provide a live python for the sacrifice, but he instead suggested a human as a replacement due to his fear of snakes.
It was against this backdrop that he decided to take his 11-year-old daughter to the spiritualist for her to be killed for the rituals.
The case prosecutor, Chief Inspector Richard Amoah, pleaded with the court to remand the accused to enable the police to conduct thorough investigations into the matter.
He said the accused was arrested on Friday, June 3, hence investigations into the matter only began yesterday.
Ralph Agyepong, counsel for the accused, did not oppose the request by the prosecutor but pleaded with the court to order the police to allow him access to the accused person so he could have conference with him.
Magistrate Ama Adomako Kwakye, remanded the accused into police custody and directed the police to allow counsel access to him on Tuesday and Thursdays between 9am and 5pm. She adjourned the case to June 20, 2022.
Facts
The brief facts of the case state that the 47-year-old in May, 2022, had a discussion with a friend about facing financial difficulties and the friend suggested that he will need a spiritual cleansing to turn things around for him (accused).
Court documents state that the friend latter introduced the suspect to one Nana Fosu, aka Nana KK, to assist him see a spiritualist for help.
On May 29, Nana Fosu took the suspect to Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr, who is a spiritualist and a herbalist at Oyibi Kom for money rituals, the prosecutor read.
Chief Inspector Amoah said, Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr agreed to do the money rituals for the suspect and directed him to buy a live python from someone in Kasoa in the Central Region to be used for the money rituals.
The facts said the accused later informed the spiritualist that he was afraid of snakes, and upon further discussions suspect suggested human sacrifice for the money rituals.
“The spiritualist feigned interest and told the suspect to furnish him with the date of births of his last two children to enable him determine which of them will be suitable for the sacrifice,” the court heard.
The prosecutor said, on May 31, the suspect rang the victim’s mother to confirm the day the victim was born, and told her that he will pick up the victim to be taken to a friend who had returned from abroad for measurement so that a dress will be sewn for her.
“The suspect furnished the spiritualist with the date of births as requested. The spiritualist then alerted the Oyibi Police about the intended human sacrifice by the suspect, and the police urged him to play along with the suspect so he could be arrested when he produces the child at the herbal centre for the said sacrifice,” Chief Inspector Amoah told the court.
Court documents said on June 3, the suspect arrived at the herbal centre with the victim and she was instructed by the spiritualist to sit in the hall whilst the suspect was also instructed to change his clothing on the compound and was later given a white calico to tie around his waist.
The suspect was then given a concoction to bath, and in the course of that the spiritualist called in the Oyibi Police, who came and arrested him and rescued the victim, the documents added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak