The alleged involvement of a traditional priest, Midao Akrorbortu, in the Devego-Xipe traditional area of the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region has sparked public debate over the beliefs, practices and procedures associated with Ghana’s traditional religious system.
The development has raised questions about the role of traditional religious authorities in resolving disputes, particularly where such matters involve alleged criminal offences, individuals of different religious backgrounds and cases that have already been reported to the police.
According to the contents petition submitted to the Duamenefa by Madam Etornam Wotorga, seeking investigation and intervention into the dispute, which involved her mother-in-law, a fetish priestess, called Dada Shitornshie Gbedala.
Dada Shitornshie, her mother-in-law is described in the report as a practitioner of traditional religion and a worshipper of the Thunder God, while the daughter-in-law, Etornam claimed she is a Christian.
According to the report, the dispute escalated after the mother-in-law lodged a complaint of assault at the police station, alleging that her daughter-in-law had assaulted her by slapping her and using a stick to hit her on the head.
The daughter-in-law was subsequently arrested and later granted bail, with the matter initially placed before the police.
However, the report states that following the police complaint, the mother-in-law proceeded to summon the daughter-in-law to the Awalavi Shrine, where Midawo Aklorbortu is the traditional priest.
According to the report, the matter was brought before the shrine on the grounds that, under the practices, procedures and norms associated with Thunder God worship, the daughter-in-law had allegedly breached certain rules and was required to undergo spiritual intervention.
The daughter-in-law, however, reportedly presented a different account of the dispute. She alleged that the mother-in-law had insulted her thus, “ Menyemi na wodzorgbe” to wit, I deficate to desecrate your destiny, an insult considered by the Hu cult practitioners as a total violation of Hu cult taboo. Madam Etornam claimed she brought the alleged conduct to the attention of the traditional priest during the arbitration.
Despite this, the report indicates that Etornam was rather found guilty at the end of the arbitration and was ordered to pay a fine of Ghc 6,800 to facilitate a ritual reportedly intended to address the matter involving the mother-in-law.
The report further states that when payment was delayed, the matter was transferred to the Nogokpo Shrine, where Mama Ladzeshi reportedly issued a summons letter to the daughter-in-law.
The summons was allegedly perceived by the daughter-in-law as threatening, leading to the petition for intervention to the Duamenefa Foundation.
Following the intervention, the Nogokpo Shrine reportedly took steps to address the concerns and subsequently withdrew the spiritual summons letter deposited in the premises of Madam Etornam and the Nogokpo shrine rendered an unqualified apology through Fafaa 100.3 Fm, to the public.
The Duamenefa Foundation subsequently reached out to Midawo Aklorbortu to respond to the allegations levelled against him.
According to an interaction between the priest and the Executive President of the Duamenefa Foundation, Mr. Ketaman Emmanuel Evortepe, the priest initially denied that the alleged sacrilegious insult by the mother-in-law had not been raised during the arbitration at his shrine.
However, following further questioning, the priest, Midao Akrorbortu reportedly acknowledged that a statement of that nature had occurred during the proceedings.
Mr. Evortepe subsequently asked the priest to clarify the actual complaint brought before him by the mother-in-law, particularly because the daughter-in-law had allegedly been found guilty and fined.
The priest reportedly explained that the complaint presented to him by the mother-in-law was that the daughter-in-law had slapped her and used a stick to hit her on the head.
Mr. Evortepe then questioned how the alleged acts constituted a breach of the rules and norms associated with Thunder God worship and why such a matter warranted spiritual intervention.
He also asked the priest to explain the specific traditional rules that the daughter-in-law had allegedly breached and to educate the public on the basis for the spiritual demands imposed on her.
According to the report, the priest was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation to the questions.
This aspect of the interaction has since generated public concern, with some questioning the basis upon which the daughter-in-law was allegedly found guilty and subjected to a Ghc 6,800 financial obligation for a ritual.
The development has also raised questions about the relationship between traditional dispute-resolution mechanisms and Ghana’s formal justice system.
One of the central issues being discussed is why an alleged assault case that had already been reported to the police and had resulted in the arrest and subsequent bail of the daughter-in-law was also taken before a shrine for arbitration.
Members of the public have questioned whether the same allegation could simultaneously form the basis of proceedings before a traditional religious authority and the formal justice system.
The issue becomes more significant because the daughter-in-law is reportedly a Christian and does not subscribe to the traditional religious belief system associated with the Thunder God.
This has led to questions about whether a person who does not practise a particular traditional religion can be required to participate in rituals associated with that belief system or be subjected to financial demands arising from such rituals.
The case has also triggered debate over the authority of traditional priests in settling disputes.
While traditional methods of mediation and dispute resolution have long played an important role in many Ghanaian communities, concerns have emerged over the extent of the authority of a traditional priest who is not a traditional ruler to determine guilt, impose fines or direct a person to undergo a spiritual process.
The controversy has consequently generated calls for greater public education on the difference between traditional arbitration, customary mediation and the formal determination of criminal liability.
Questions have also been raised about whether participation in traditional arbitration must be based on the consent of the parties involved, particularly when one of the parties does not belong to the religious or traditional system under which the arbitration is being conducted.
The Christian faith of the daughter-in-law has become another major part of the public debate.
The situation has prompted discussions about religious freedom and whether traditional religious practices can be imposed on individuals who do not subscribe to them.
Ghana’s constitutional framework protects freedom of religion and belief, raising questions about how traditional practices should be applied when disputes involve people from different religious backgrounds.
Another issue attracting public attention is the reported Ghc 6,800 demand.
The daughter-in-law reportedly challenged the basis for the amount and the ritual for which the money was demanded.
Questions have consequently been raised about how the amount was determined, who authorised the demand and whether a person found culpable through traditional arbitration can be compelled to finance a spiritual ritual without freely consenting to it.
The intervention by the Duamenefa Foundation has brought the matter into wider public attention and highlighted the importance of allowing all parties to respond to allegations before conclusions are reached.
The Foundation’s questioning of the priest reportedly focused not only on the alleged conduct of the daughter-in-law but also on the traditional and religious basis for the decision taken against her.
The inability of the priest, according to the report, to clearly explain how the alleged assault amounted to a breach of the rules governing Thunder God worship has become one of the major points of public concern.
The Devego-Xipe dispute has therefore moved beyond the original family disagreement and has become a subject of wider discussion about how traditional religious institutions operate and interact with Ghana’s formal legal system.
Several questions remain at the centre of the debate: What exactly was submitted to the shrine for arbitration? Did the daughter-in-law voluntarily agree to the traditional arbitration? What specific traditional rule was allegedly breached? On what basis was the Ghc 6,800 amount determined? Can a person who does not subscribe to a particular traditional religion be required to participate in its rituals? And what is the appropriate role of a traditional priest when an alleged criminal matter has already been reported to the police?
These questions require careful consideration by traditional authorities, legal practitioners, religious leaders and relevant state institutions.
The case also presents an opportunity for greater public education on the limits and procedures of traditional dispute resolution, particularly where such practices intersect with constitutional rights and the formal justice system.
Traditional dispute resolution remains an important part of Ghanaian society, but the controversy demonstrates the need for clarity, consent, transparency and respect for individual rights whenever traditional mechanisms are used to settle disputes.
For the mother-in-law, the underlying allegation remains that she was assaulted by her daughter-in-law, a matter she initially reported to the police.
For the daughter-in-law, the issue has reportedly evolved into a concern about the process through which she was summoned before a shrine, allegedly found guilty and subjected to a financial and spiritual demand despite her Christian faith.
The conflicting accounts therefore leave several issues requiring further clarification.
As the debate continues, the Devego-Xipe dispute has become a significant public-interest case, highlighting the sensitive intersection between traditional religion, Christianity, family disputes, customary authority, religious freedom and Ghana’s formal justice system.
By Hutor Dziwornu, Fafaa 100.3 FM, Dzodze
Edited by Isabella Evortepe, Fafaa 100.3 Fm