Please lets make this Christmas "made in Ghana" Christmas with Ghanaian rice. I will personally deliver the rice to all corporate institutions that make the purchase. Together lets make this work. #AGRIC # GHANARICE #IDEY4U
THE RACE TO SAWUA
The finish line is in sight. Out of 176 kilometres of challenging terrain, just 6 KM REMAIN!
The elite Ghana Armed Forces Engineers have pushed through with absolute grit.
Watch the incredible journey of military discipline, precision, and unwavering service to the nation. The Race to Sawua is almost won!
Justice Cannot Be Bought: The Navrongo Assault and the Urgent Case for Criminalising Witchcraft Accusations
The recent, horrific assault of a 90-year-old woman in Navrongo, who was dragged into the bush and beaten under the guise of a witchcraft accusation, is a devastating stain on Ghana’s human rights record. What makes this tragedy even more egregious is the community’s attempt to resolve it: ordering the 45-year-old perpetrator, Apana Awasiaku, to pay a paltry GHC 2,000 fine. This case is not an isolated customary dispute; it is a serious criminal offence. It exposes the fatal flaws in how society handles gender-based violence, protects the elderly, and why the immediate passage and enforcement of the anti-witchcraft bill is non-negotiable.
1. The Insult of Financial Settlements for Violent Crime
Treating a brutal physical assault against an elderly woman as a civil matter settleable by money is an absolute mockery of justice. A GHC 2,000 fine treats a human life and human dignity as a commodity. It sends a dangerous message to the community: if you are wealthy enough, you can abduct, strip, and beat an elderly woman with absolute impunity. Physical violence, unlawful confinement, and terrorization are state offences. They cannot be arbitrated by local elders or erased with a cash payout. The state must step in because custom has failed to protect the vulnerable.
2. The Weaponization of Witchcraft Accusations
This case perfectly illustrates how witchcraft accusations are weaponized against those who cannot fight back. A 45-year-old man attacking a 90-year-old woman is a clear abuse of power, fueled by ageism and misogyny. In many communities, when misfortune or illness strikes, elderly women without strong social or financial protections are easily scapegoated. These accusations serve to dehumanize the victim first, making the subsequent physical violence acceptable in the eyes of onlookers. By remaining silent or accepting financial settlements, communities become complicit in torturing their own grandmothers.
3. The Urgent Need for Legal Precedent
This specific incident underscores exactly why the re-introduced Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill must become law immediately. Without explicit legislation that completely outlaws the act of accusing, branding, and attacking individuals as witches, law enforcement and local assemblies will continue to defer to weak traditional resolutions. The state must make it clear that witchcraft accusations are a direct pipeline to physical violence and banishment. Perpetrators like Apana Awasiaku must face long-term imprisonment, not just financial fines, to serve as a deterrent to others.
A Call To Action
The Navrongo assault must be the breaking point for how Ghana addresses witchcraft accusations. @GhPoliceService must act swiftly to arrest the suspect and prosecute this case under the full extent of the criminal code. We cannot claim to be a civilised, rights-respecting nation while our grandmothers are hunted, beaten, and priced out of their dignity. The law must take its course, the anti-witchcraft bill must be enacted, and justice must be served - not bought.