A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment at the Senior Correctional Centre by the Juvenile Court in Accra after being found guilty of conspiring with another teenager to murder a 10-year-old boy in Kasoa for money rituals.
Before his sentencing, the emotional convict pleaded for forgiveness, addressing the court and the deceased’s father.
“It was not my intention to kill my dear friend,” he said. “I never planned this; it was the devil. Please forgive me and give me a second chance.”
Presiding Judge Bernice Mensimah Ackon noted that the boy, arrested in April 2021, had been on remand for three years and two months. Under the Juvenile Justice Act 2003 (Act 653), this effectively covered his sentence, but due to the gravity of the offence and his desire to acquire vocational skills, the court imposed an additional 12 months to be served at the Senior Correctional Centre.
Case Background
In October 2023, a seven-member jury found the two teenagers guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.
While the High Court sentenced the 18-year-old accomplice, Nicholas Kini, to life imprisonment, the 15-year-old’s sentencing was deferred to the Juvenile Court as per Section 18(1) of the Juvenile Justice Act, which requires separate sentencing for juveniles.
The Incident
The prosecution revealed that on March 29, 2021, the accused consulted a spiritualist for money rituals, known locally as sakawa. The spiritualist demanded GH¢5,000 and a human sacrifice. Days later, on April 3, 2021, the accused lured the deceased, Ishmael Mensah, to an uncompleted building under the guise of retrieving a video game.
Inside, the second accused, Kini, ambushed Ishmael and struck him with a pickaxe handle. As the victim pleaded for his life, the juvenile accused ignored him and delivered a fatal blow with a cement block. The pair then attempted to bury the body in a shallow grave, intending to deliver it to the spiritualist.
This gruesome act shocked the nation, sparking calls for stricter measures to address the influence of ritual practices on vulnerable youth.
Godfred Sey/ Ahotoronline.com
