Court Sentences 15-Year-Old in Kasoa Ritual Killing Case

The Juvenile Court in Accra has sentenced a 15-year-old boy to 12 months at the Senior Correctional Centre after finding him guilty of conspiring with an accomplice to murder a 10-year-old boy, Ishmael Mensah Abdallah, in Kasoa in 2021 for money rituals.

The sentencing comes after a harrowing case that shocked the nation, involving the murder of the young boy in pursuit of wealth through rituals, locally referred to as sakawa.

Before his sentencing, the convicted juvenile, visibly teary, pleaded with the court for leniency.

“It was not my intention to kill my dear friend and to also end his life this way. I pray the court would forgive all my sins and give me a second chance,” he said, addressing the court.

The juvenile also sought forgiveness from the deceased’s father, expressing deep remorse.

“I have played with Ishmael for a very long time. I never planned to kill him. It was the devil,” he added.

Presiding judge Bernice Mensimah Ackon acknowledged the juvenile’s three years and two months on remand, noting that under the Juvenile Justice Act 2003 (Act 653), the offender had effectively served his sentence. However, citing the gravity of the crime, the judge extended the sentence by 12 months to allow the juvenile to undergo rehabilitation and acquire a technical vocation, as he had expressed an interest in vocational training after dropping out of school in Basic 6.

On March 29, 2021, the juvenile and his accomplice, Nicholas Kini, consulted a spiritualist for money rituals. The spiritualist, reportedly based in the Volta Region, demanded GH¢5,000 and a human sacrifice.

On April 3, 2021, the duo lured the deceased into an uncompleted building under the guise of retrieving a video game. Once there, Nicholas Kini ambushed the boy and struck him on the neck with the club of a pickaxe. The juvenile then used a cement block to fatally strike Ishmael’s head, rendering him unconscious.

The prosecution revealed that the pair dug a shallow grave intending to bury the victim temporarily before conveying the body to the spiritualist.

In October 2024, a seven-member jury at the High Court found Nicholas Kini, 18 at the time of sentencing, guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and the substantive charge of murder. Justice Lydia Osei Marfo sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The 15-year-old juvenile’s sentencing had been deferred to comply with Section 18(1) of the Juvenile Justice Act, which requires cases involving juveniles charged jointly with adults to be remitted to a juvenile court for sentencing.

The Kasoa ritual killing case has sparked national outrage and renewed calls for reforms to address the rising influence of sakawa practices among youth. Advocacy groups and community leaders have urged for greater emphasis on moral education, poverty alleviation, and stricter oversight of media content that glorifies instant wealth.