Ama Hemmah
Ama Hemmah (1947-2010) was a Ghanaian woman burned alive for allegedly confessing to be a witch in Tema, Ghana. The suspects claimed the olive oil that was used in an attempt to drive out the evil spirit was what caught fire.[1]
Murder
On 20 November 2010 at Tema Site 15, Hemmah was tortured by five people who had suspected her of being a witch until she confessed to them. Before her torture, Mary Sagoe caught Hemmah sitting in the bedroom of her sister Emelia after she had sent her children to school. An alarm was raised which caught the attention of the perpetrators, Samuel Ghunney, a 50-year-old photographer, Pastor Samuel Fletcher Sagoe, 55, and Emelia Opoku, 37, Nancy Nana Ama Akrofie, 46, and Mary Sagoe, 52, all unemployed. They drenched her in kerosene and later set her on fire.[2]
A student nurse came to her rescue and sent her to the Community One Police Station. Hemmah was transferred to Tema General Hospital, where she died the following day.[3][4]
Police investigation
The suspects, a pastor and a photographer, denied the allegation in their statement to the police. Six persons were arrested in connection to the incident, two of whom were charged with murder and the other four released on bail while they awaited trial.[2][5]
References
- ^ "Shock over Ghana 'witch killing'". 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^ a b "'Devil' grandma burned alive by exorcists". Daily Telegraph. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^ Smith, David (2010-11-29). "Ghanaian woman burned to death for being a 'witch'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^ ""My mum is not a witch" | General News 2010-11-29". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^ "Ghana". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2019-10-05.