Police Hunt For Ritualist Who Aided Couple To Bury Their Two-Year-Old Son Alive
The Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa Police in the Central Region are on a manhunt for a ritualist who has allegedly aided a man and his wife to bury their son alive.
The parents of two-year-old Yaw Adobaw said they were convinced the traditional priestess’s assertion that their baby’s inability to neither speak nor walk were indicators that he was a spirit child so had to be killed.
The deceased, from the time of his birth, was unable to walk, hence, the father, Paul Adobaw consulted Prophetess Ama Nkansah at Gomoa Eshiem who told him that the baby is a spirit child from a river and if he doesn’t return the baby to the river gods, he will continue giving birth to such babies.
The parents and the prophetess are believed to have sent the baby to their backyard, near a stream called Gyankobeng, dug a grave, performed some rituals on the child and buried him alive.
Eye witness and tenant of the couple, Abubakari Mohammed aged 59, accompanied by his neighbour, Kwesi Afriyie walked to the Police Station on May 27, 2021, and reported that on the day of the incident, he woke up from bed at about 00:30 am and saw Paul Adobaw, alias Kojo Okor, his landlord and father of the deceased baby, together with two women.
One of the women he said, was holding the child while the others were digging the ground behind their house.
He narrated that he was scared because at first, he could not make out the people until Paul Adobaw walked into the light.
Upon identifying his landlord, he then questioned him and demanded an explaination.
Paul Adobaw then told him they were carrying out a traditional rite. It was later that Abubakari Mohammed detected that the child had been buried. He therefore informed the police immediately.
The police followed him to the scene and they found the grave. The police instructed the suspect to open the grave and the body of the deceased, Yaw Adobaw was found lying naked in a prone position.
When the body was exhumed, washed and carefully inspected by the police, it was detected that blood was oozing from the nostrils and the mouth.
Photographs were taken of the body and the scene. The body was conveyed and deposited at Our Lady of Grace Hospital Mortuary Breman Asikuma for preservation and autopsy.
Meanwhile, DSP Irene Oppong of the Central Regional Ghana Police Service has assured Ghanaians that information gathered is being used as leads to ascertain the whereabouts of the prophetess.
She urged members of the public to support in this effort, ” all hands must be on deck. Anybody who has information about her whereabouts should contact the nearest police station for her to be arrested, assist us with investigations.”
Currently, the parents of the boy, Paul Adobaw alias Kojo Okor and Yaa Atta remain in custody assisting with investigations while police search for the said ritualist, prophetess Ama Nkansah.