Wa Chief To Force Man And Woman Flogged In Public To Marry Each Other

Wa Chief To Force Man And Woman Flogged In Public To Marry Each Other

  • The man and woman captured in a viral video being flogged in public would be compelled to marry each other as punishment
  • This is according to a prominent chief of Wa, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, who has explained that the forced marriage is a long-standing regulation for sexual misconduct
  • An explicit video of the man and woman leaked online in the Muslim community prompted the drastic punishment from traditional authorities

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A prominent chief in Wa, where a man and woman have been flogged in public for sexual misconduct, has revealed the two people will be forced to marry each other.

Wa Flogging
The unidentified man and woman were tied to a pole during the public flogging. Source: UGC/@3NewsGH
Source: UGC

Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Overlord of the Waala Traditional Council, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the move is to serve as a deterrent to other youths in the area.

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Angry Wa youth storm police station; demand release of friends arrested over flogging incident

The news agency quoted the Overlord in a report published on June 1, 2022, as follows:

“Besides the flogging, parents of the boy and the girl will also agree to let the two get married and stay as a couple to serve as a deterrent to the youth and to live upright lives.”

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The Wa Naa added that these strict measures in the predominantly Muslim community were aimed at ensuring decency, morality, and peace.

“The measure will also let people who come to Wa enjoy their stay and outsiders who have their relatives will not be worried about their safety,” the GNA report quoted him further.

Public flogging stirs mixed reactions online

Social media was divided earlier this week over the appropriateness of a public flogging of the man and a woman by traditional leaders in Wa for indecent behaviour.

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According to reports, the young adults were lashed in public at different times at the forecourt of the Wa Naa’s palace on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 because explicit videos of them together leaked.

The leaked video caused a massive stir in the rural community and soon reached the traditional leaders. They then directed residents to fish out the people behind the said videos since they breached Islamic doctrines on decent behaviour.

Although Ghana does not operate under Sharia law, the traditional rulers in many rural communities wield enormous authority.

The two were found and dragged to the forecourt of the Wa Naa palace at different times for 20 lashes each.

Angry Wa youth storm police station to demand release of colleagues arrested over flogging

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported in a related story that hundreds of angry youth besieged the police command in Wa to demand the release of three people arrested over the public flogging incident.

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Police arrested the people on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, after a video of the man and woman being flogged in public for alleged sexual misconduct went viral.

However, the angry youth on the evening of June 1, stormed the police station and pelted stones at the personnel. This compelled the police to also fire tear gas to disperse them.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
George Nyavor avatar

George Nyavor (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) George Nyavor writes for YEN.com.gh. He has been Head of the Politics and Current Affairs Desk since 2022. George has over 9 years of experience in managing media and communications (Myjoyonline and GhanaWeb). George is a member of the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners Ghana (CAMP-G). He obtained a BA in Communications Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2010. Reach out to him via george.nyavor@yen.com.gh.