Sorcery killing is murder: Officer

By REBECCA KUKU
POLICE will continue to treat sorcery-related violence as criminal cases and charge perpetrators accordingly, Metropolitan Superintendent Perou N’dranou says.
Following a report of increased sorcery-related violence in the National Capital District, N’dranou said: “The sorcery act is confusing the whole issue. Since the 1971 Sorcery Act was abolished in 2013 and under the new legislation passed in 2013, killings linked to allegations of witchcraft will be treated as murder, so the same will apply for threatening, accusing, and assaulting people allegedly for practising sorcery.
“If someone accuses another person of sorcery, that person will be arrested and charged for defamation of character.
“So if people attack, harm or murder another person because they believe them to be sorcerers, the perpetrators will be charged criminally.”
N’dranou also called for support from the Government, non-governmental organisations and the society as a whole to help police fight against gender-based violence and sorcery-related violence.
“Police alone cannot address these issues.
“We need support from stakeholders, NGOs and the government to address these ongoing issues,” he said.
“The police family and sexual violence units (FSVU) needs a database to collect and store all their data, they need funding and logistics.
“If they receive the support they need, we will see changes.”
N’dranou said there was no medical or scientific proof that showed that sorcery was real.
“We all, the police, the stakeholders, the government, the NGOs and the community have to stand together to address this issue.”