Father of 10-year-old Ishmael Mensah Adellah, who was killed by his friends in Kasoa, has recounted the trauma he went through after the death of his son.

In an interview on Kofi TV on November 22, 2024, he noted that while on duty as a worker with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), his deceased son asked him to visit him.

He emphasized that after having breakfast with his son the day he arrived, he asked him to go learn in the hall while he took a nap, only for him to be woken by his wife saying that Ishmael had been murdered.

"I was in the Oti region working with GRA, but due to the nature of the work, I only paid my family visit every two weeks. But it got to a point where I could barely visit them. So sometimes Ishmael will call me and tell me he misses me, so I should visit him.

"So when I got the opportunity during Easter in 2021, I decided to visit them. When I got home, he was asleep, so I woke him up and asked him what he had kept for me; he didn't say anything, so he later came to me and told me he wanted eggs with tea. I then asked his mother to prepare some for us all to eat.

"It was after we were done that I told him I wanted to rest so he should take his laptop and learn in the hall. I was asleep when I heard my wife slamming the door while shouting that someone had killed Ishmael. I couldn't believe it, so I left out only to find the dead body of my son," he shared.

He further narrated how he couldn't put himself together after seeing his lifeless son's body.

"When I got to the scene, I saw him lying on the floor. I went to lift him, but I was told because it was a police issue I shouldn't touch him. I had to come home, and that day, we all cried. I couldn't even put myself together. I remember before the incident happened, Ishmeal would even come for food for his friend because their family was struggling financially.

'One time his mother even teased Ishmael that he would marry his younger daughter," he narrated.

The father of Ishmael also narrated how the death of his son has negatively affected his business, making him owe an amount of GH₵180,000.

"To be frank, things are not going well for me because I was following court proceedings, and the business I left in the care of some people has gone down. I now owe GH₵ 180,000. My wife is the one taking care of me. I can't even sleep. My wife had a car, and he made me sell it, but I haven't been able to cover the debt. I almost ended my life. I am now on pension too. Recently sat behind my house with a rope; it was my youngest daughter who saw me; I would have hanged myself," he cried.

Background

In 2021, 10-year-old Ishmael Adellah was killed by his friend Nicholas Kini, who was accused of using the deceased for a money ritual.

Nicholas Kini, in October 2024, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a High Court in Accra.

The other accused person, who was 15 years old at the time of the crime, has reportedly been referred to the juvenile court for sentencing due to his age.

JHM/OGB