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Ten-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdallah was gruesomely murdered at Kasoa in the Central region for money rituals.
The heinous crime was committed by two teenagers, identified as Felix Nyarko and Nicholas Kiki, who have since been apprehended by the Police.
The suspects, aged 16 and 18, later confessed to taking their young neighbour’s life on the instruction of a spiritualist, whom they had discovered on television.
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Many have wondered which sort of punishment will be prescribed for the suspects since they are still juveniles.
Reacting to this, the PRO for the Central Regional Police Command, DSP Irene Oppong, said the suspects cannot be jailed beyond five years due to their ages.
“In the case of a juvenile, the sentence can’t exceed five years. In some instances, they can be sentenced for only three years and that depends on the discretion of the judge,” she said on Kumasi-based Hello FM, as quoted by GHpage.
“As we speak, there is no documentary evidence to prove whether their ages are 16 or 17. Therefore we are looking forward to getting their weighing cards or birth certificates.
In case we do not get any of these, then the police investigator will have to them to an expert to determine their ages.”
Meanwhile, the MP for Ashaiman Constituency, Ernest Norgbey, has blamed the spate of youth involvement in money rituals on the high unemployment rate in the country.
According to him, the best way to prevent the youth from venturing into such acts is to create sustainable jobs.
In a write-up, the legislator urged the Akufo-Addo government to take steps to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians.
“What is also happening is evidence of the harsh economic conditions Ghanaians are going through under the Akufo-Addo led administration,” Mr. Norgbey wrote.
“The situation is even direr for the youth. The President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must ensure the provision of sustainable jobs to help prevent the youth from patronizing the services of juju men.”
Mr. Norgbey, who is a member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, called for spiritualists who propagate get-rich-quick agendas to be banned from national television.