Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicates that a 13-year-old boy in the Shama District of the Western Region has been held hostage by a fetish priest on suspicion of practicing witchcraft.
The paper learnt that the boy, a pupil of the Aboso Methodist Basic School in the district, was allegedly sent to the shrine of the fetish priest on Sunday July 6, by his parents after he was accused of being behind a misfortune that befell a taxi driver in the area.
According to sources, the fetish priest was demanding some items for the performance of some rituals before releasing the boy from the shrine.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the fetish priest, known as Akakpo Katsekpor, 62, was demanding three sheep, six bottles each of schnapps and Kasapreko local gin and a cash of GH¢1,000.00.
The fetish priest asserted that he would use the items to compensate the gods before releasing the boy from the shrine; otherwise, the boy would be kept there forever at the expense of his education.
The boy was reported to have claimed that the witchcraft was given to him by his grandmother about two months ago.
He was also reported to have mentioned the names of about 14 other people – all adults from the community – he claimed to be his cohorts he operated with.
However, speaking to DAILY GUIDE in separate interviews, some of the residents in the area did not believe the boy was a wizard, suspecting that he might have been forced to make the alleged confessions.
“We believe the little boy is innocent, and we wonder why the parents should send their own son to the fetish priest on such suspicion,” one of them lamented.
Another resident also stated: “This is ridiculous. How can the fetish priest keep the little boy hostage in this modern times, I think personnel of DOVVSU should intervene.”
When DAILY GUIDE contacted the District Chief Executive of Shama, Enock Kojo Appiah, he indicated that even though he was not in the district, he had directed the assembly member for the area and personnel of BNI to move to the shrine and arrest the fetish priest.