The suspects. INSET: One of the suspects with human bones
A suspected ritual killing syndicate has been busted by the Ghana Police Service following the discovery of several human remains at a shrine in Gblorkope, Central Tongu District in the Volta Region.
The breakthrough came after months of investigations triggered by a missing person’s report filed on December 17, 2024, by Madam Comfort Hatse, a trader from Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region.
She reported that her son, Nelson Anyana, 28, had left home on December 4, 2024, to meet one Augustina Fiawoyife at Mafi-Adidome and never returned.
Detectives later uncovered a gruesome conspiracy involving Fiawoyife, who was romantically involved with a herbalist, Wisdom Hedidor. The police say Hedidor, consumed by jealousy over Fiawoyife’s continued contact with Nelson, allegedly plotted to murder him for ritual purposes.
Investigations revealed that a local fetish priest, Gblor Noah, popularly known as Ekpedzi, had earlier requested a human body for ritual rites, promising a GH¢7,000 payment. Courage Bedzo, a kente weaver, reportedly relayed this request to Hedidor, who agreed to carry out the act.
On December 12, 2024, Fiawoyife allegedly lured Nelson to a secluded location near the DC Bungalow area in Adidome. While engaging him in conversation, Hedidor and Bedzo emerged and strangled him to death. Fiawoyife reportedly watched the killing without raising any alarm.
The body was subsequently sold to the fetish priest, who was accompanied by his brother, Gblor Yohannes, a lotto writer. The remains were transported to the Gblorkope shrine and buried beneath an idol after performing rituals.
Upon arrest and interrogation, the suspects led investigators to the shrine where Nelson’s remains were exhumed. Police also discovered three additional skeletons buried under other idols, as well as scattered body parts in nearby bushes, raising suspicions of serial killings.
Six suspects have since been arrested. They include Augustina Fiawoyife, unemployed, Wisdom Hedidor, herbalist, Courage Bedzo, kente weaver, Gblor Noah alias Ekpedzi, fetish priest, Gblor John, security guard, and Gblor Yohannes, lotto writer.
All six are residents of Mafi-Adidome and reportedly related to the operators of the shrine.
The suspects were arraigned before the Ho District Court 1 on July 2, 2025, presided over by His Worship Albert Annor Owusu. Prosecutor, Detective Sergeant Kwadwo Otibu-Gyan, informed the court that investigations are still underway, particularly efforts to identify and exhume all remains linked to the case.
The court did not take the suspects’ pleas and remanded them into prison custody to reappear on August 6, 2025.
The disturbing revelations have sent shockwaves through the Volta Region, with residents demanding swift justice and a clampdown on ritual activities in the area.
The Ghana Police Service has assured the public of its resolve to fully pursue the case and bring all perpetrators to book. Authorities are also appealing to the public for information that could aid ongoing investigations.
Forensic experts are currently working to identify the additional victims, as police probe the possibility of more bodies linked to the shrine.
From Daniel K. Orlando, Ho