News
Mason, 23, jailed 15 years for defilement
The Bekwai Circuit Court has handed a 15 years jail sentence to a 23-year-old mason, Ebenezer Birikwai, popularly known as Immortal, for defilement.
Immortal was handed the sentence after admitting to have defiled a four-year-old girl at Manso Afedie in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.
After initially pleading not guilty, Immortal changed his plea to guilty when he reappeared before the court presided by Justice Isaac Apietu. The conviction and sentence followed harrowing testimony and medical evidence that confirmed the assault.
According to prosecutors, the crime occurred on April 16, 2026, around midday.
Immortal allegedly lured a group of children by handing them his mobile phone to watch a game while he sat nearby. Seizing the distraction, he placed the four-year-old victim on his lap, shifted her underwear aside, and had sexual intercourse with her.
The victim’s aunt, passing by, noticed the child’s distressed facial expression and intervened.
She reportedly found the accused’s manhood inside the girl, with seminal fluid on her thighs. Her shouts drew residents, including the victim’s mother, who rushed to the scene.
The Unit Committee Chairman quickly alerted the Manso Adubia Police, who arrived in time to prevent mob justice.
Immortal was taken into custody and later transferred to the Divisional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) for further investigation.
A medical examination at St. Martin’s Catholic Hospital, Agroyesum, confirmed the assault as the police medical form revealed that the victim’s hymen had been broken.
Detective Chief Inspector Eric Twum, prosecuting, told the court that the accused admitted the offence in a caution statement taken in the presence of an independent witness, pleading for forgiveness.
Immortal was charged under Section 101 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by Act 554, which criminalises defilement of a child under 16 years.
The law prescribes a minimum of seven years’ imprisonment, with sentences extending up to 25 years.
The court convicted him on his own plea and imposed a 15-year custodial sentence.
Police commended residents for the swift intervention and urged communities to remain vigilant in safeguarding children.
They encouraged the public to promptly report suspected cases of child abuse to the nearest police station or DOVVSU office.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
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