On Thursday, October 24, 2024, an Accra High Court convicted two boys for the murder of 10-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdellah at Kasoa in the Central Region in 2021.

In delivering her judgment, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the presiding judge, bemoaned what she noted to have become a threat to Ghana’s society and future generations due to parents being derelict in their duties.

“The parents of the current generation are asleep while their children who should be sleeping beside them are widely awake. The consequence is a silent pandemic eroding our society and condemning our future generation to a life of trauma,” she is quoted in a report by TV3.

One of the accused persons, 18-year-old Nicholas Kini, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the court.

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.

Below are details of the case:

On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, widely celebrated as Valentine’s Day, the second accused (18-year-old) young offender concluded his case.

This occurred after his lawyers indicated they would not be calling any witnesses, moments after State Prosecutors, led by Nana Adoma Osei, a Senior State Attorney, signaled the end of her cross-examination.

Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the presiding judge, following the closure of evidence, ordered the parties to file their final closing addresses by March 14.

The court stated it would issue further directives after the parties had complied with the orders regarding their oral addresses to the jury and the court’s subsequent summing up of the trial.

EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, reported that the prosecution called seven witnesses, including the father, mother, and sister of the 15-year-old juvenile.

The two teenagers were charged with conspiracy and the murder of 10-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdellah before the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo.

While the 15-year-old juvenile (1st accused) admitted to the offense and stated that they “committed the crime together,” the young offender (2nd accused) denied the charges.

The court has ultimately found two teenage boys guilty of murder and sentenced 18-year-old Nicolas Kini to life imprisonment after they were charged with killing 10-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdella for money rituals in Kasoa Lamptey Mills in March 2021. pic.twitter.com/Tt6ZXaYieV

— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) October 24, 2024