A fetish priest accused of killing a 41-year-old woman at Awutu Bentum has reportedly told investigators that a spiritual force compelled him to commit the act.

The suspect, Cudjoe Hlolary, has been arrested in connection with the death of Joyce Akua Amponmaa.

During questioning by the Ghana Police Service, the suspect allegedly claimed he experiences a powerful and violent urge to behead people whenever he enters what he described as a spiritual trance.

In his account to investigators, Hlolary said the impulse occurs when he believes a spirit has taken control of him.

“I always feel like cutting off a human head whenever the spirit arrives,” he reportedly told police, adding that although he had managed to resist the urge in the past, he failed to do so during the incident involving the deceased.

The suspect further claimed that the struggle with the supposed spiritual force had started long before the fatal attack. He told investigators that on a previous occasion he nearly harmed a close relative under similar circumstances but was able to restrain himself.

The killing of Joyce Amponmaa has shocked residents of the Awutu Bentum community, many of whom say they are struggling to understand how someone accused of such violent impulses could have been working as a spiritual healer and interacting with members of the public.

Investigators say the case has also uncovered disturbing allegations about what happened after the victim was killed. Authorities suspect that parts of the victim’s body may have been removed for ritual purposes.

Police are currently pursuing leads suggesting that some of the remains may have been taken to the suspect’s hometown in the Volta Region.

Security officials are said to be working with local traditional leaders in the area as they attempt to locate the alleged burial site and gather further evidence.

Meanwhile, relatives of the late Joyce Amponmaa have rejected the suspect’s claim of spiritual possession, insisting the explanation is an attempt to avoid responsibility for what they describe as a deliberate and calculated crime.