Crime & Punishment of Monday, 18 September 2023

Source: mynewsgh.com

Pastors arrested for assaulting priestess who refused to surrender her gods

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Three (3) pastors who physically assaulted a priestess of the indigenous Traditional Religion in Wiaga in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region have been arrested by the police.

According to a report by journalist Castro Senyalah, the priestess was hospitalized after the vicious attack on her by the two pastors of the Jesus Family Church in Sandema after they had failed to get her to surrender her gods and convert to Christianity.

The victim, Sakinatu Issahaku, who resides in the Sichaasa community of Wiaga was mercilessly beaten by the enraged pastors, who had forcibly confiscated her gods and attempted to take them away and discard them. At a point, one of the pastors, a Whitman pulled a pistol on her and threatened to kill her.

The victim, who was rescued by community members was transported to the Wiaga Clinic and treated of bruises on the face, knees and a dislocated arm.

Recounting the incident to journalist Castro Senyalah, the priestess recalled that the violent pastors, led by a popular pastor in Sandema called Donatus Asekabta, had come to her home and had offered to pray for her and convert her to Christianity. But she declined the offer. They insisted but she stood her ground and refused. Then they become enraged and tried to forcibly take her deities away. Her resistance resulted in the physical assault on her after their verbal assault failed to get her to budge.

“They took some of my idols and hid them and when I retrieved them, one of the pastors who is a white man held me and pushed me onto the ground. I quickly got back up and that was when the white man took out a pistol and threatened to kill me,” she told the Journalist.

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She continued, “After that, the pastor from Awolinka Church beat me up mercilessly. He twisted my arm. And as I speak, there are pains all over. I also sustained cuts on my face, knees and hands,” she added.

The police arrested the suspects after a complaint was lodged at the Sandema Police Station.

The traditional priestess wants the perpetrators of the violence on her punished.

“I was at my home and they came and attacked me. I didn’t do anything wrong. So, I want the police to handle the case well and punish them for the severe beatings and other inhumane treatment they made me go through in my own house,” she demanded of the police.

The attack has left residents of the area shocked. They have expressed surprise at how persons who claim to be men of God could beat a person unprovoked and even threaten to kill her.