Small-scale miner arrested for allegedly killing his niece and attempting to use her head for money rituals

Augustine Afari, 22, is currently in the grips of the Police for allegedly killing a 7-year-old girl for ritual purposes.

The suspect, who is a small-scale miner, allegedly killed the minor (his niece) following the instruction of Osei Kofi, alias Agya Osei, a spiritualist.

The incident occurred at Wassa Nkyirifi.

The deceased Spendylove Adjei was staying with her parents, the complainant Kwabena Badu and her mother Susana Afari, at Wassa Agyakusu.

About eight months ago, her grandmother, Abena Obenewaa, who lives at Wasa Nkyirifi, brought the minor from her parents’ place to stay with her and attend school.

On July 21, 2023, the deceased Spendylove fell sick and did not go to school.

At around 9:00 am, her grandmother Abena Obenewaa left the deceased, Spendylove, in the care of her son, the suspect, Augustine Afari, who is the deceased’s uncle, to go to the farm.

She returned around 2:00 p.m., but Spendylove was nowhere to be found.

She went to a drinking spot in front of the house where the said suspect, Augustine Afari, was and asked him the whereabouts of Spendylove, but he told her she was asleep in the room before he left the house, so he had no idea of her whereabouts.

The grandmother became alarmed and continued her search to the house of the deceased’s father, Kwabena Badu, and informed him about the incident.

And together, they went around searching for her, but all proved futile.

The Assemblyman of the town, Hon. Keneth Boadi, was informed about the incident, and he said since the deceased was left in the care of the suspect, Augustine Afari, he should be arrested.

The suspect was subsequently arrested that same day and brought to Wassa Akropong Police Station.

During interrogation, he denied the allegation levelled against him and was released on Police inquiry bail the following day.

On August 1, 2023, information was received from a Pastor, James Coffie Nkansah, at Dunkwa-on-Offin that the suspect, Augustine Afari, came to him to confess that he killed his niece, Spendylove, and further stated that suspect Agya Osei A2 advised him to kill her and bring the deceased’s head to him for a money ritual.

The spiritualist is said to have given the suspect an amulet in the form of stones to swallow.

He then instructed him to bring a bag of sachet water for a ritual bath, which the suspect obliged.

The suspect used the water to bathe, after which he became possessed and allegedly went into the room where the deceased was sleeping and attacked her with a machete till she became weak.

Suspect Augustine Afari then sent the deceased to an abandoned galamsay site surrounded by a bush about 120 metres away from their house and cut off her head.

He later dug a hole, buried the headless body in it, tied the head in a black polythene bag, and hid it somewhere in the bush with the hope of sending it to the spiritualist as they had arranged.

He is said to have made efforts to send the head of the deceased to the spiritualist after he had been granted bail.

However, the spiritualist told him the rituals could no longer work, so he should go back and bury the head where he left the headless body.

The two were subsequently arrested, brought to Wassa Akropong Police Station, and detained for further investigation.