33-Year-Old Elisha Mahama Akpanichie Sentenced to Life for Killing Jirapa “Dubai” Owner

Wa, October 15, 2025 — A High Court in Wa, presided by Justice Yussif Assibey, has sentenced Elisha Mahama Akpanichie, aged 33, to life imprisonment for the murder of Eric Johnson, the owner of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel (known as “Jirapa Dubai”). 

Two co-accused in the case — Belinda Miller and Kweku Kumbata — were acquitted and discharged by the court. 

Details of the Case

• The murder occurred on February 11, 2024, at Jirapa in the Upper West Region, where Johnson was stabbed to death in his residence.  
• Elisha Mahama, a former human resource manager at the hotel, had reportedly been dismissed earlier amid allegations of improper relationships with female employees that caused internal disputes at the hotel.  
• Evidence in the prosecution’s case showed that on the night of the attack, Mahama scaled the hotel fence using a ladder, entered the late Johnson’s private room, and stabbed him multiple times.  
• The court also heard that Mahama took the hotel owner’s car key and some money from the premises before fleeing.  
• After investigations and a manhunt, Mahama was arrested in the Central Region days later through intelligence-led operations.  

The convicted suspect will serve his sentence at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison.