“An 18-Year-Old Gets Life for the Kasoa Ritual Killing — And I Still Can’t Wrap My Head Around It”
A few years ago, I stumbled into a conversation at a roadside chop bar that still lingers in my mind. It was one of those casual Friday evenings — grilled tilapia, loud laughter, football on a dusty TV. Someone mentioned how kids nowadays “will do anything for money,” and I remember shrugging it off. I mean, everyone complains about “the youth.” It felt like one of those typical rants. But then someone said, “You heard about those boys in Kasoa, right?”
I hadn’t.
And when I finally read the story, my stomach turned.
Two teenagers — yes, teenagers — lured a 10-year-old boy to his death. All because a so-called spiritualist on TV claimed that with the right ritual, you could become rich. Just like that. No job. No work. No school. Just blood.
It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it happened. Right here. In Ghana.
And now, one of the boys, who was 16 at the time, has been sentenced to life in prison. He's 18 now. Technically, still a kid. A kid… with no future outside prison walls.
I don't know how to feel.
On one hand, justice matters. A young, innocent life was taken in the most horrific way imaginable. I mean, how do you even explain to a parent that their child is gone because someone wanted quick money? It’s unthinkable. There's a deep, dark rage that bubbles up just imagining it.
But then I look at the boy who committed the crime — and I mean really look. He's not some seasoned criminal. He was just a confused, maybe even desperate, teenager caught in a toxic mix of poverty, peer pressure, and digital misinformation. I’m not excusing him. Not for a second. But I keep thinking: What if someone had stepped in sooner? What if someone had told him, “Bro, this life shortcut you’re chasing doesn’t exist” before it was too late?
Truth is, I’ve seen the obsession. I’ve felt it too, honestly — that pressure to make it big, to have your own apartment, to post photos with the latest iPhone even when you can barely afford lunch. We live in a culture where success is measured in likes and flexes. And when you scroll through social media and see 22-year-olds in Dubai and 19-year-olds buying Benz cars, it’s easy to think: “I’m falling behind.”
But man… this is the dark side of that mindset. This is what happens when fantasy becomes more attractive than reality.
The sad part? There are hundreds — maybe thousands — of young people walking the same dangerous path right now. Watching the same fake spiritualists, following shady TikTok pages, hearing whispers from “friends who know someone.” Some of them are just one bad decision away from ruining not only their lives but someone else’s.
It’s terrifying.
And it makes me wonder…
Are we doing enough? Are parents having the tough conversations, even when it’s awkward? Are schools teaching kids more than just math and English — like critical thinking and empathy and the difference between real and fake? Are we, as a society, more interested in chasing clout than in checking in on the kid next door?
Honestly, I don’t have all the answers. Maybe none of us do. But this case — this tragedy — is a wake-up call. Not just to punish, but to prevent. Because if an 18-year-old is being sentenced to life, something already went terribly wrong long before the courtroom ever got involved.
So now I’m sitting here, thinking about all the “what ifs.”
What if he had made a different friend? What if he never saw that TV program? What if someone had taught him that there’s no such thing as fast money without consequences?
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