Former Education Minister, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has condemned the lynching of a 90-year-old woman at Kafaba near Salaga in the Savannah region.
Describing the act as barbaric, the running mate to National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, said “the elderly in our society rather deserve our love and protection, not this level of unspeakable cruelty.”
Akua Denteh was slapped, kicked and caned on Thursday after being accused of witchcraft by a supposed soothsayer.
Kafaba: Family of lynched old woman demands arrest of chief, others
The body of the deceased has since been conveyed from Kafaba by Police in Salaga and deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy.
With a video of the act trending on social media, some Ghanaians, including recognised civil society organisations have called for justice for the family of the deceased, with a demand for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
Joining this call, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said she is hopeful of a swift investigation.
“Old age cannot be synonymous to witchcraft. It is time to build a fair, just, and gender-sensitive society that respects and values everyone, no matter their age,” she wrote on Facebook.
“It is my expectation that the security agencies will swiftly investigate and bring the culprits to justice,” parts of her post read.
She further called for more sensitisation so as “to raise the level of public education to forestall such tragic occurrences.”