General News of Monday, 22 July 2002

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Don't Assist Criminals - Police Warn Spiritualists

The Police on Monday warned Spiritualists, Pastors and Mallams to desist from aiding crime by fortifying criminals especially armed robbers for them undertake their nefarious activities.

"We will deal with any spiritualists involved in goading criminals psychologically by "fortifying" them as accomplices," Dr Kofi Kesse Manfo, Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.

He said at the moment, some spiritualists are being investigated for aiding armed robbers and hardened criminals by protecting them against arrest.

Most armed robbers arrested recently during the Police/Military operations confirmed consulting spiritualists for fortification against arrest before embarking on any robbery operation.

"The Police wish to warn spiritualists that it is ungodly to assist in anyway, criminals in their anti- social activities. It is even unpatriotic and an offence to assist criminals to harass law abiding citizens".

Dr Manfo said some of the robbers claimed they were given vanishing powers and fortification against bullets.

He said, "any facilitator of the commission of a crime becomes a collaborator or an accessory to the crime and equally liable to the crime."

Dr Manfo said the Police have established also that most drug traffickers in the country consult Pastors to enable them carry hard drugs out of the country without detection in return for monetary donations after successful undertakings.

He said some concoctions were given to some drug traffickers to bath with so that they could pass through entry points without detection.

Dr Manfo said whatever the criminals do to outwit the Police or the law they must know that they would by all means be caught.

Criminals have never absolutely escaped from the long arms of the law, he said.