Written by Mensah Adinkrah, Ph.D.
Ritual murder is the killing of a person with the intention of using the victim’s blood, body, or body parts to perform rituals or prepare what is often described as “medicine” for personal gain.
It is one of the most heinous crimes anyone can commit. Taking another person’s life in order to benefit oneself or someone else is cruel, immoral, and deeply disturbing.
Cases of ritual murder are regularly reported in the Ghanaian mass media. In some investigated cases, body parts such as the tongue, eyes, sexual organs, or blood have been removed from victims.
Victims of ritual murder include infants, children, young teenagers, women, and sometimes pregnant women. In some cases, the person seeking the body parts commits the killing themselves. In other cases, suspects claim they were hired by someone else to carry out the murder.
Ritual murders happen in different ways. Some victims are attacked while working alone on their farms. In other cases, innocent children are lured with money, sweets, or candy, kidnapped, and killed. There have also been reports of taxi drivers and commercial motorcyclists being deceived into traveling to remote locations, where they are murdered and their body parts taken.
Those who commit or arrange ritual murders often believe that using blood or body parts will bring them wealth, political power, protection, or success. Whatever the motive, ritual murder is still murder, and in Ghana it is considered a very serious criminal offense.
The Ghana Police Service investigates ritual murder cases thoroughly and has successfully prosecuted many offenders. Several people convicted of these crimes have received severe punishments, including the death sentence.
Given the horrific nature of ritual murder, the Ghana Police Service must be properly resourced to investigate these crimes, arrest suspects, and ensure successful prosecutions. The courts must also continue to impose strong penalties on those found guilty. Ritual murder is an evil crime, and it must be confronted and stopped.
