Student forced to confess she is a witch

Kumasi, Feb 13, GNA - A Kumasi Circuit Court has granted a 30 million-cedi bail with one surety each to a spiritualist and an accomplice for allegedly coercing a female student to admit her involvement in witchcraft.Mallam Fuseini Abubakar, the spiritualist and Dora Osei, unemployed, were said to have subjected the student to severe beatings to force her to confess that she was the one bewitching Dora's sick child.
      
They pleaded guilty to the charges of putting someone under duress and abetment of crime and they will appear before the court on February 28. Prosecution told the court presided over by Mr Ernest Yao Obimpeh that the victim, who is the niece of Dora, lives with her and her two other children at Aboabo in Kumasi.On May 18 last year, one of Dora's children was taken ill and the victim was asked to accompany her cousin to the spiritualist for treatment.
      
On reaching spiritualist's house, who apparently had been told what to do, subjected the victim to severe beatings till she had no option but to succumb to the pressure to admit she was the one bewitching the sick child.A report was made to the police the accused persons were arrested.

14 Feb 07