3 MPs sponsor bill to criminalise witchcraft accusations

Three Members of Parliament are sponsoring a Private Members Bill to criminalise witchcraft accusations in the country.

Led by the Wa East MP, Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the three have taken this decision on the back of recent reports of heightened accusations of witchcraft in some parts of the northern regions of Ghana.

In an earlier report in 2022, some elderly women

Read full article.accused of witchcraft were captured on video being inhumanly and brutally treated by a man said to be a Togolese.

In the report shared by JoyNews, the man was using excessive force to get a confession from the women.

The video caught the attention of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, prompting him to send a delegation to Gambaga to investigate the matter, but this action seemed not to have helped matters any better.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews and monitored by GhanaWeb, the Wa East MP, Godfred Seidu Jasaw, expressed shock at the new development, stating that while this is a pathetic situation, they unfortunately cannot speed up the legislative process to get the law passed.

“I feel so appalled that this situation has recurred again. It’s pathetic: I heard the story that 6 women were banished in one month; it’s terrible. I have to say however that lawmaking is a slow process. We appreciate the accusations and the challenges these women and other accused persons are going through but if the law has to be effective and be what it is to stand the test of time, it unfortunately has to be slow and effective,” he stated.

It is reported that more than 10 women have, since the presidential delegation went to the community, been accused of witchcraft and banned from some communities, among others.

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