Spiritualist sentenced to death for killing his wife and daughter

The Bolgatanga High Court has sentenced a 38-year old traditional spiritualist, Mbawona Tindana, for killing his wife and daughter and sacrificing them to his idols.

Tindana, charged with two offences of murder under section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act of 1960, Act 29, pleaded not guilty.

But the Court presided over by Mr Charles Adjei Wilson, Regional Supervising High Court Judge, with unanimous decision from a seven-member jury Tindana himself selected, found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

Prosecuting Senior State Attorney, Mrs Joyce Debrah said Tindana is a self-acclaimed traditional spiritualist from Kulpeliga in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region and the husband and father to the deceased, 25-year Talata Abigail Kurug and two-year old Nyapoka Mbawona Tidana.

According to Prosecution, Tindana had accused his wife and daughter of being witches.

Prosecution said on June 27, 2019, at about 1630 hours, deceased wife who had gone out of the house, was told by their son that the Tindan who is also the ‘Tindana’ for the area had killed his sister and sacrificed her to the gods.

Prosecution said the deceased then rushed back to the house and saw the daughter lying dead, in a pool of blood with the brains scattered.

The Prosecution said out of shock, the deceased collapsed and the accused pounced and hit her with an axe and a machete on the head, thereby killing her in addition to their daughter.

He also hit his son with the matchet but the son managed to escape and was saved by young people who were playing football near their house and later took him to the hospital for treatment.

Prosecution said an eyewitness who saw the action could not save them due to axe and matchete Tindana was holding, so she hid herself and later alerted the police who came and arrested the accused person.

Police report said two deceased were found dead in a pool of blood and discovered an axe and a matchete stained with blood lying on the ground beside the deceased.

A medical report also indicated that the deceased were hit by strong objects causing serious head injuries that led to their death.