Fetish Priest Remanded

Kwao Simon also known as Dzakpata, a Fetish Priest, and his apprentice, Francis Kwao have been remanded by a Koforidua Magistrate Court for conspiracy to commit crime, kidnapping and causing harm.

They will reappear before the court on February 11.

Briefing the court presided over by Ms Cynthia Wiredu, Detective Police Sergeant Albert Anane prosecuting, said on January 27 this year, at about 1530 hours, the victim, Bridget Hastlyn Baah, a second year student of Methodist Girls Senior High School at Mamfe Akuapem, boarded an Urvan bus from the Mamfe Adawso lorry station near Apenteng Hall in Koforidua to school.

He said on their way, all the passengers on board alighted at various points till they got to Adawso.

Detective Sergeant Anane said at Adawso, the driver called a taxi cab for the victim since he claimed he could not continue with an empty vehicle and assisted the driver of the taxi cab in loading the girl’s luggage into the taxi which then moved towards Mamfe.

He said at a short distance to Mampong Nkwanta near Adawso, the taxi driver sprayed a chemical into the taxi rendering the victim unconscious, who later gained consciousness in a room with three other people blindfolded.

The prosecutor said the victim made distress calls to relatives who later lodged a complaint at the Regional Police Headquarters in Koforidua.

Detective Sergeant Anane said according to the victim, Francis, the apprentice, came to draw blood with a syringe from her right wrist into a container and further gave her an injection to weaken her.

He said police on receipt of the complaint from the complainant who is based at Effiduase-Koforidua, set out in search of the victim.

According to the prosecutor, the presence of the police in the area amidst gun shots sent a signal to Francis and his cohorts who later took the victim to a bush path and brought her in a taxi cab with other three captives to Adawso lorry park area.

Detective Sergeant Anane said the police got the information and picked the victim to the Regional hospital, Koforidua where she was treated and discharged.

He said in the course of investigations, police received information that the victim was sent to Dzakpata’s shrine after she was kidnapped.

Dzakpata, however, denied the charge but when the victim was sent to Dzakpata’s shrine, she pointed out Francis as one of her kidnappers and the one who injected her.

They were therefore arraigned before court accordingly on Thursday and remanded to reappear on February 11, 2013.