A docket on the suspected murder of a seven-year-old girl by his uncle, Augustine Afari, and a spiritualist, Osei Kofi, at Wassa Nkyirifi in the Western Region has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for legal advice.
Police arrested the two suspects, Augustine Afari, A 22-year-old small-scale miner, and the spiritualist, popularly known as Agya Osei, allegedly killed the girl for money rituals.
The deceased girl, Spendylove Adjei, was a pupil at Wassa Nkyirifi D/A primary school.
According to the biological father of the victim, Kwabena Badu, also a small-scale miner at Wassa Agyakuso, the victim was sent to her grandmother, Abena Obenewaa, who stays at Wassa Nkyirifi to attend school about eight months ago.
On July 21, 2023, she fell sick and could not go to school.
Her grandmother left her in the care of her son, suspect Augustine Afari and they went to the farm.
She returned around 2:00 pm the same day but could not find the whereabouts of the granddaughter.
When confronted, suspect Augustine Afari said he also left Spendylove in the house to buy something and therefore does not know her whereabouts either.
The grandmother searched every nook and cranny of the community, but to no avail, forcing her to inform her father of the deceased girl, who came to the community to join the search; however, they were not successful.
Assemblymember in the community, Kenneth Boadi, was informed about the incident.
He advised the family to make an official complaint at the Police station for suspect Afari to be cautioned.
Around 3:00 pm same day, suspet Afari was arrested and sent to Wassa Akropong Police Station.
He denied the allegation levelled against him during interrogation, hence released on Police enquiry bail.
Starr News has gathered that, on August 1, 2023, a Pastor at Dunkwa -On -Offin, Pastor James Coffie Nkansah, informed the family and police that suspect Afari confided in him that he killed his niece Spendylove.
Agya Osei, the spiritualist, advised him to kill her and bring her head for a money ritual.
The spiritualist further gave him an amulet in the form of a small stone to swallow. He additionally directed him to bring sachet water for the ritual bath.
Augustine claimed that after the ritual bathing, he was possessed and suddenly became aggressive and hungry for blood, therefore, when his sick niece was left to him to take care of her, he inflicted multi-cutlass wounds on her till she became unconscious.
Suspect Afari then sent the deceased to an abandoned galamsey site in the bush, which is 120 meters away from their house, and beheaded her.
He then dug a hole, buried the headless body in it, tied the head in a black polythene bag and hid it somewhere in the bush for him to send to the spiritualist later as directed.
However, that was when he was arrested and granted bail; therefore, he could not send the head of the victim as planned.
The next day, around 9:00 p.m., after he was granted Police inquiry bail, he sent the head to the spiritualist but was told to return the head and bury it where he buried the body of the victim because the money ritual won’t work.
Suspect Afari and the spiritualist were both arrested, brought to Wassa Akropong Police Station and detained.
The body and parts have been exhumed and deposited at the morgue for further investigation.
The two accused persons have been charged and remanded by the court while the docket has been sent to the Attorney General’s Office for advice.
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