The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has called on stakeholders of the media to restrict contents that promote social vices in the country from being aired on television stations.
The clarion call follows recent developments, where two underaged boys were apprehended by the Police for allegedly murdering their 11-year old friend, Ishamel Mensah Abdallah, for money ritual purposes in the Central Region.
According to Police report, the culprits, Felix Nyarko and Nicholas Kini aged 16 and 17 years, acted on the directive of a fetish priestess who asked for human body parts for use for the rituals.
Many groups and individuals, in response to the situation, have blamed the act on contents being aired on the television stations where people—spiritualists, mallams, pastors, etc.—are seen using such unapproved and sophisticated means to double money for interested individuals.
The GPCC, like the concerned organizations and individuals who have called on the Police and regulatory bodies to prohibit and clamp down on the culprits, has issued a statement adding their voice to the call.
Read the full statement below:
The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council has learnt with great shock the gruesome murder of a ten-year-old boy by two (2) teenagers for ritual purposes at Kasoa. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and call on the Ghana Police to expedite action on investigations in order to bring the culprits to book.
The Council notes with concern the confession of the culprits that they were enticed by an advert by a fetish priest on a TV Station inviting viewers to bring human body parts for purposes of doubling money and call on the Ghana Police Service to search for and arrest the fetish priest for prosecution. We appeal to media houses not to make profit their sole aim but also consider the moral and cultural health of the nation in accepting adverts for their outfits.
We also urge the National Communications Authority, the National Film Authority and other relevant State Institutions to review the current law on censorship of contents that can be broadcast on media platforms in order to tie any loose ends that permit media houses to broadcast any and every kind of content to any category of audience at any time.
Finally, we appeal to parents to take up their parental responsibilities in advising their children to stay away from deviant behavior that borders on criminality and also admonish our youth to know that the only way to lasting and unattached wealth is hard work.
It was issued and signed by the the council’s General Secretary, Rev. Emmanuel Teimah Barrigah, on April 8, 2021.
