The Tamale High Court on Tuesday July 4, 2023 sentenced Hajia Mohammed Serena and Latifa Bomaye to 12 years imprisonment over the murder of 90-year-old Akua Denteh at Kafaba in the Savannah Region.
The two, Hajia Serena Mohammed and Latifa Bomaye, were charged for attempted murder and murder.
The whole saga took place On Thursday, July 23, 2020, when 90-year-old Akua Denteh, was lynched at Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region over witchcraft accusation.
Akua Denteh, together with 17 others, were seen in a viral video being tortured by a supposed soothsayer, Hajia Serena Mohammed, and her accomplice Latifa Bomaye.
The seven attackers were charged in court. However, five of them namely Haruna Aness, 34, Issifa Tanko, 35, Issifa Sachibu, 32, Shaibu Muntala, 29, and Sulemana Ali, 35, were acquitted after the Regional Attorney General’s Department legally counseled the police to do so.
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As a newspaper, we commend all those connected with ensuring that justice is served for the Adegoke family, starting with the police that swung into action as soon as the video of the inhumane act went viral on social media.
Unlike in cases where the police bungled investigation and allowed the culprits to walk free due to negligence or compromise, in this case, the police detectives showed an uncanny level of professionalism in apprehending all those involved, gathering the necessary evidence and prosecuting the culprits successfully.
Also commendable is the quickness in arriving at judgement. In a country where cases linger in the courts for decades, this one took barely one year and six months to resolve.
As a newspaper we commend both the judiciary and the police teams for their promptness, for justice delayed is justice denied.
Finally, in these days of smart phones, it is advisable for to always captured on video happenings in their communities that are frown upon by the laws of the land, as well as the society.
The police were able to crack the case because the barbaric act was captured on video, which helped the detectives to arrest the perpetrators, who have paid for their crime.
