Father accused of offering daughter for money rituals arraigned; court briefed on details

The 47-year-old businessman, Evans Oppong, said to have allegedly attempted to use his daughter for money rituals has been arraigned.

He was arraigned at the District Court in Accra (Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit) on Monday [June 6, 2022] with charged with preparation to commit a crime to wit murder.

His plea was not taken and the court presided over by Ama Adomako Kwakye, remanded him in police custody.

The remand, is to enable the police to conduct further investigations into the matter.

The court also ordered the police to allow the suspect’s lawyer have access to him on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

He is to re-appear on June 20, 2022.

Brief facts

The facts as presented by Chief Inspector Richard Amoah were that, the suspect Evans Oppong is the father of the victim (name withheld) aged 11 years.

He said, the suspect had been living in Holland for many years but relocated to Ghana a year ago.

The prosecutor told the court that, in May 2022, the suspect discussed with a friend known as Kwame that he was facing financial difficulties.

C/Insp. Amoah told the court that, the friend suggested that the suspect will need a spiritual cleansing to turn things around for him.

He added that the friend later introduced the suspect to one Nana Fosu a.k.a. Nana K.K to assist him see a Spiritualist for help.

Rituals

He said on May 29, Nana Fosu took the suspect to Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr, who is a spiritualist and a herbalist at Oyibi Kon for money rituals.

C/Insp. Amoah said, Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr agreed to do the money rituals for the suspect and directed him to buy a live python from someone in Kasoa to be used for the money rituals.

However, the prosecutor said the suspect later informed the spiritualist that he was afraid of snakes as such he will come to him for further discussions on what to do.

“The suspect later had discussions with the spiritualist during which the suspect suggested human sacrifice for the money rituals.

“The spiritualist feigned interest and told the suspect to furnish him with the date of birth of his last two children to enable him to determine which of them will be suitable for the sacrifice,” the prosecutor said.

Call

The prosecutor said on May 31, the suspect rang the victim’s mother to confirm the day the victim was born and told her that he will pick up the victim to be taken to a friend who had returned from abroad for measurement so that a dress will be sewn for her.

“The suspect furnished the spiritualist with the date of birth as requested.

The spiritualist then alerted the Oyibi Police about the intended human sacrifice by the suspect and the Police urged him to play along with the suspect so he could be arrested when he produces the child at the herbal centre for the said sacrifice,” he said.

He added that the spiritualist later informed the suspect that he had spiritually checked on the date of birth of the two children and that the victim will be suitable for the sacrifice.

He said the spiritualist instructed the suspect to bring the victim to his herbal centre on June 3, 2022.

On June 3, 2022, the suspect rang his elder brother to release his car to visit a herbal centre for treatment as a result of a car accident he had recently.

He said that morning around 8:00 a.m, the elder brother released the vehicle to his son to go and pick up the suspect at the herbal centre on their way to said the herbal centre, and they picked up the victim at Amasaman.

Bag

“At a spot at Oyibi suspect asked the driver to wait for him and he took over the car the suspect later stopped and bought three “Ghana must go” bags and two bottles of schnapps.

“The suspect arrived at the herbal centre with the victim and she was instructed by the spiritualist to sit in the hall whilst the suspect was also instructed to change his clothing on the compound and was later given a white calico to tie around his waist,” he added.

The suspect, according to the prosecutor, was then given a concoction to bath and in the course of that, the spiritualist called in the Oyibi Police who came and arrested him and rescued the victim. The investigation is ongoing,” the prosecutor told the court.

What earlier police statement said
Related: Man who offered daughter to be killed for money rituals arrested

A statement issued by the police on Friday [June 3, 2022] mentioned that Oppong was rather arrested on Thursday [June 2, 2022] for attempting to offer his daughter to be killed for money rituals.

The traditional herbalist he consulted and sent the daughter to at Oyibi Kom near Accra, for ritual sacrifice, reported the incident to the police for the man to be arrested.

The herbalist recorded the incident at the time the police arrived at the scene for the arrest and shared the video on Facebook.

In the video shared by the traditional herbalist, identified as Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr on Facebook, he narrated how the man, named as Evans Oppong (who is also captured in the video wearing a plain white cloth and sitting on a wooden stool) brought his daughter to him, optimistic that she would be killed for rituals.

Evans Oppong had gone to pick up his 11-year-old daughter from school on Thursday, June 2, 2022, and sent her to the herbalist to be killed.

According to the herbalist, Evans Oppong had told him that he had 12 children and needed him [herbalist] to kill two of them for money rituals.

Police confirmation

A police statement confirming the arrest said the suspect was 42-year-old Evans Oppong, a resident of Fise, near Amasaman.

He is said to have taken the 11-year-old daughter to a native priest at Oyibi Kom in Accra for ritual purposes on Thursday, June 2, 2022.

“The suspect’s arrest followed information provided by a patriotic citizen to the police, and we are grateful to him for his selfless service which has saved the life of the child involved,” a police statement dated June 3, 2022 signed and issued by Chief Superintendent Grace Ansah-Akrofi, the new Director of Police Public Affairs said.

“The victim is currently in safe custody of the police while an effort is being made to re-unite her with her mother and the rest of the family.”

“Meanwhile, the suspect is currently in police custody assisting with the investigation,” the police statement added.