Five Suspects Remanded Over Lynching Of Old Woman

Bolgatanga District Court, presided over by His Worship Osman Abdul-Hakeem, has remanded some five persons arrested in connection with the lynching a woman, Ayimpoka Kinna, in lawful Police custody.

The five, Gbambil Soore, Kofi Pale, Mba Soore, Timble Soore and Samuel Soore,  have been charged with Murder and Conspiracy to Murder. They will reappear before the Court on June 28, 2017 .

Earlier, the first accused, Gbambil Soore, was granted Police enquiry bail, on grounds of ill health on Sunday , and appeared before the Court, together with others who were still on remand since Sunday.

Counsel for the accused, Lawyer Anthony Namoo, pleaded with the Court, to keep the first accused, still outside the Police custody to continue with his medication. He also told the Court that, the arrest of the fifth accused person, Samuel Soore, was wrong, because he was nowhere near the incident not the Pelungu Chief Palace on the day of the incident.

Despite the plea by the accused person’s Counsel, the first accused was added to the four and remanded to reappear on June 28, 2017 .

Prosecutor, Inspector Gilbert Boaten Addea, told the Court that, the Police granted the first accused bail on health grounds and once he was well enough to come to court and stand through the hearing, he should be remanded, to avoid any interferance in Police investigation.

Presenting the facts of the case in Court, Inspector Gilbert Boaten Addae said, on the 28th day of May, 2017, the decased, Ayimpoka Kinna, aged 67, went to the Pelungu market in the Nabdam District to trade in her shed, as she does on daily bases.

At about 5:00pm , on that same day, some persons accused her  of being a Witch and was subsequently escorted to the Pelungu Chief’s Palace. There, the accused was interrogated by the Chief and his Elders.

According to the Prosecutor, in the course of the interrogation, words went round the community, which attracted a large crowd to the Chief’s Palace, to witness the interrogation. The crowd included two brothers of the deceased. Then after 4 hours of interrogation, the Chief asked the two brothers of the deceased to take her home.

The Prosecutor said, the two brothers pleaded with the Chief to allow the deceased to pass a night at the Palace, due to the behaviour of the furious crowd, who were bent on attacking the deceased.

The Prosecutor told the Court that, the Chief in his response said, his Palace was not a “Witches Camp”, and the accused persons whisked the deceased away to an unknown destination, and the next day, the deceased was seen dead with multiple wounds.

Inspector Gilbert Boaten Addae assured the Court that, investigations are still on-going to apprehend others accomplice who are on the run.

The five persons were among a group of 65 person who were arrested in a dawn swoop on Saturday and screened in connection with the lynching of the 67 year old woman, Ayimpoka Kinna. The incident occurred the same day, Major Maxwell Adam Mahama was lynched.

Lifeless body of the deceased after the lynching

EBO BRUCE-QUANSAH, Bolgatanga