Retired Soldier, Pastor Jailed Six Months for Lynching Taxi Driver Over Alleged Fake GH₵50
High Court convicts duo of manslaughter nearly nine years after fatal mob attack in Agbogba.
- Jury finds Joseph Abusah and Pastor Benjamin Agbetiafah guilty of conspiracy and manslaughter.
- Victim Solomon Dapaah died from severe head injuries after brutal assault.
- Court sentences both men to six months’ imprisonment on concurrent terms.
Two men — a retired soldier and a pastor — have been sentenced to prison by the High Court in Accra for their role in the death of a taxi driver over a disputed GH₵50 note alleged to be counterfeit.
Joseph Abusah, a pensioned military officer, and Pastor Benjamin Kofi Agbetiafah were convicted of conspiracy and manslaughter in the death of 32-year-old Solomon Dapaah. A seven-member jury returned a 5–2 majority verdict on the conspiracy charge and a unanimous guilty verdict on manslaughter.
Presiding judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, sitting as an additional High Court judge, sentenced both men to six months’ imprisonment on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Incident leading to death
The court heard that the incident occurred on March 1, 2018, at New Abladjei, a suburb of Agbogba, where the two convicts lived.
On that day, the deceased, who was driving a Nissan Micra taxi, stopped at a provisions shop operated by the mother of the second accused. He purchased a seven-litre bottle of Fanta for GH₵10 and paid with a GH₵50 note. After receiving GH₵40 as change and driving off, the shop owner suspected the note was fake and raised an alarm.
Abusah and Agbetiafah pursued the taxi in a Nissan pickup driven by Abusah. They eventually blocked the taxi at the outskirts of the community. While the other passenger managed to flee, Dapaah became entangled in a barbed wire fence as he attempted to escape.
The two men pulled him out and assaulted him severely. He was beaten unconscious, tied with nylon rope and transported in the back of the pickup to the Agbogba Police Station to lodge a complaint.
Police officers, upon noticing his swollen face and blood coming from his mouth, escorted him to the Agbogba Clinic. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A post-mortem conducted at the Police Hospital in Accra on March 13, 2018, determined the cause of death as severe head injury resulting from lynching — classified as an unnatural death.
Court proceedings and sentencing
During mitigation, defence counsel told the court that both men were first-time offenders who had consistently attended court proceedings since their arrest in March 2018. He noted that they had spent six months on remand and had complied with all reporting requirements. The court was also informed that the second accused was newly married and had a 73-year-old mother.
However, State Attorney Yvonne Yaache-Adomako urged the court to consider the aggravating circumstances of the case, stressing that the sentence should serve as a deterrent and reflect the gravity of mob justice.
In delivering the sentence, Justice Osei Marfo said the court had weighed both the mitigating and aggravating factors. She noted the accused persons’ conduct throughout the nearly nine-year trial, their six months in remand, and their status as first-time offenders.
While condemning mob justice in strong terms, the court ruled that the time already spent in custody and the prolonged duration of the case were significant considerations in determining the six-month concurrent sentences.
