A 38-year old Ghanaian fetish priest who killed his wife and daughter and sacrificed them to his idols has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Bolgatanga High Court found Mbawona Tindana guilty of the crime and sentenced him accordingly.
Reports say the convict, who hails from Kulpelga in Tongo in the Talensi district of the Upper East Region, was arrested in 2019 for allegedly killing his 25-year-old wife, Talata Abigail Kurug, and 2-year-old daughter, Nyapoka Mbawona Tindana, and sacrificing them to his gods.
The facts of the case say he cut off the victims’ heads with an axe after accusing them of witchcraft.
He was charged with two offences of murder under section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act of 1960, Act 29.
Although he pleaded not guilty to the charges proffered against him, the court presided over by Charles Adjei Wilson, Regional Supervising High Court Judge, convicted him.
The court’s decision was reportedly based on a unanimous decision from a seven-member jury Tindana himself selected, which found him guilty and sentenced him to death.
“Prosecuting Senior State Attorney, Mrs Joyce Debrah said Tindana is a self-acclaimed traditional spiritualist from Kulpeliga in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region and the husband and father to the deceased, 25-year Talata Abigail Kurug and two-year-old Nyapoka Mbawona Tidana.
“According to Prosecution, Tindana had accused his wife and daughter of being witches.
“The prosecution said on June 27, 2019, at about 1630 hours, deceased wife who had gone out of the house, was told by their son that the Tindan who is also the ‘Tindana’ for the area had killed his sister and sacrificed her to the gods.
“The prosecution said the deceased then rushed back to the house and saw the daughter lying dead, in a pool of blood with the brains scattered.
“The Prosecution said out of shock, the deceased collapsed and the accused pounced and hit her with an axe and a machete on the head, thereby killing her in addition to their daughter.
“He also hit his son with the matchet but the son managed to escape and was saved by young people who were playing football near their house and later took him to the hospital for treatment.
“The prosecution said an eyewitness who saw the action could not save them due to the axe and machete Tindana was holding, so she hid and later alerted the police who came and arrested the accused person.
“A police report said two deceased were found dead in a pool of blood and discovered an axe and a machete stained with blood lying on the ground beside the deceased.
“A medical report also indicated that the deceased was hit by strong objects causing serious head injuries that led to their death,” the GNA reports.