Ghana: Nine people arrested for falsely claiming their genitals had disappeared

Authorities in Ghana have arrested nine suspects who allegedly spread false news about the disappearance of their genitals that led to “fear and panic among the public and attacks on innocent citizens”, the West African nation’s state broadcaster, GBC reported.

In a statement, the Ghana Police Service said they established through investigations and medical examinations that the claims made by the suspects were false. Police also said they arrested six of the suspects in the Central Region while the others were apprehended in the Greater Accra Region and Eastern Region.

Five suspects have since been arraigned before court while three are in police custody. “The rest are on Police inquiry bail and will soon be arraigned before Court,” the statement said.

Reports about genital disappearance claims in the West African nation have made headlines – though those complaints haven’t been substantiated. The Ghana Police Service in their statement cautioned people to desist from making such claims. 

“The Ghana Police Service notes with concern this increasing trend of persons making false claims of the disappearance of their genitals and blaming innocent bystanders that sometimes lead to mob attacks,” the statement said.

“We wish to caution the public against such criminal conduct that is likely to harm innocent people as well as disturb public peace,” the statement added.

For many Ghanaians, stories of people claiming their private parts went missing normally after a physical touch by someone else are not new. Last October, cases of missing manhood also hit Nigeria. Experts believe that it is a “stress-induced psychological issue,” BBC reported.