Crime & Punishment of Monday, 18 July 2016

Source: dailyguideafrica.com

I’m not a witch – Suspected 'human meat' seller

Madam Florence Appiah carrying the meat after her arrest Madam Florence Appiah carrying the meat after her arrest

Madam Florence Appiah, the 60-year-old woman who was accused of selling human flesh to unsuspecting customers at the Adabraka market last week, has stated that she is not a witch to deal in human flesh.

According to her, she was just following a spiritual direction her pastor asked her to do for the sake of her family.

“My two children died mysteriously and to avert such mysterious death in my family again, I was asked to do that. My pastor had a vision and after we had prayed together, he requested that I buy cow meat, carry it as if I was selling it and move to and fro any market,” Madam Appiah disclosed.

“I was not to sell the meat to anybody but to dispose of it later,” she told the police in a statement before her release last Friday.

Madam florence Appiah was nearly lynched last Wednesday morning at the Adabraka market after she was accused of selling human meat to unsuspecting customers.

She was allegedly found by some of the traders of the market carrying a wooden tray with the meat on it and hawking around the market at 9am.

The timely intervention of the Adabraka police saved her from the hands of those traders.

She was freed last Friday evening after a 37-year-old butcher who claimed, Madam Appiah bought the meat from him at the Makola market, had gone to the station to give out his statement.

Ali Bakari said he sold cow meat to Madam Appiah at a cost of GH¢16.00 that Wednesday morning and not human flesh.

“One pound of the meat costs GH¢10, but the woman bought two pounds after pleading with me to sell it at GH¢8 and after a lengthy bargain, I agreed and she gave me GH¢20 and so I gave her GH¢4 as change,” the butcher averred.

When contacted, ASP Effia Tenge, the Accra Region police spokeswoman, said Mr Bakari had given his statement to the police stating the source of the meat, and that the police were still waiting for the forensic report to verify the truth or otherwise.

“The police have also visited the butchery of Bakari as part of our investigations to check the other meat available, but we shall deal with the forensic report before we can finally draw our conclusion,” ASP Tenge said.

She confirmed that the husband of Madam Appiah, “name withheld,” had also confirmed that his wife was only following a spiritual direction and was not there to sell anything to anybody.