Elderly couple rescued from Bamburi mob

An elderly couple in Bamburi was on Sunday evening rescued by police from a lynch mob who accused them accused of practising witchcraft. Katana Charo, 80 from Matingasi had sought the services of a witchdoctor to diagnose the cause of his wife Nyevu’s sickness. But the residents were angered after Omari Bakari, the witchdoctor, removed suspect paraphernalia from elderly couple’s mud house.

As the witchdoctor did his rituals, the crowd outside the house became angry and bayed for the couple's blood. Police, who had been called in by residents,  whisked them away from the mob. They were taken to Bamburi police station where they were questioned and later released. The residents said youth in Matingasi have been dying mysteriously and they point an accusing finger at the couple.  Katana said he had  sought the permission of the area chief Hamisi Kesi before inviting the traditional doctor.

Bakari produced a letter signed by Kesi  showing he was called in to treat Nyevu . Senior Bamburi police, whose names have been withheld as they are not authorized to speak to the press, said the couple was released but with advise not to return to their house. “We released them because we had no reason to hold them. But we told them not to go back to their house because they would most probably be lynched,” said a senior officer stationed at the Bamburi police station. Cases of elderly people being lynched on suspicion of practising witchcraft is on the rise in the Coast region.