The Chief of Zakpalsi, the farming community in the Mion district of the northern region where two persons were accused of witchcraft and lynched in the process, Naa Alhassan Iddrisu, has rendered an unqualified apology for what transpired and the embarrassment it caused the State some months ago.
The traditional leader has also assured the government and the entire Dagbon traditional kingdom that such unfortunate incident will never repeat itself in thecommunity.
“It has never happened in this community. We have never experienced such barbaric incident here and I pray that God will never allow such a thing to happen again.”
These remarks were made on behalf of the Zakpalsi Chief during a Community Dialogue on Social Protection and Social Issues organized by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (GCSP) for the people of Zakpalsi and Kpilgini – two farming communities in the Mion district on Monday, October 23, 2023.
“Kindly convey my message to the Minister that we’re sorry for what happened and assure her that it will never repeat itself. We also accept the advice and education given to the people of this community” he added.
The Zakpalsi community came into the limelight following the gruesome killing of two persons accused of witchcraft in May this year. The victims were identified as Safura Imoro, a trader and mother of seven children and Mba Cherefo, an elder of the community.
Background:
The deceased persons were accused by a woman who complained that Mma Safura as she was commonly referred to in the community gave her a snuff to cure her toothache and her condition was rather getting worse as a result of severe pain.
The husband of the complainant told the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu during a fact-finding visit to the community that his wife mentioned the duo of bewitching her at night and that if ever she loses’ her life, the two should be held responsible.
The sad news of her death eventually occurred and a soothsayer who was consulted by her family blamed the death on the snuff she was given. This development angered the youth of the community who mobilized and lynched the accused persons in the process.
Meanwhile, the Minister upon hearing the narrative charged the Northern Regional Police Command to investigate the matter thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice.
She said witchcraft accusations were becoming rampant in the north and urged the traditional leaders among other stakeholders to take the necessary steps to stop the occurrence.
The families of the slayed persons have made several calls to demand justice for their relatives but not much has been heard about the progress of the police investigations and the prosecution of the perpetrators.
Chief’s plea
Naa Alhassan Iddrisu used the medium to appeal to the government to deploy health workers to the Community Health Center and operationalize it in order to improve access to healthcare.
In addition, he also urged the government to complete the construction of the 3kilometer stretch connecting the community and the district capital to enhance economic activities.
