The High Court in Wa has sentenced a serial killer, Shariff Abdulai, popularly known as “Cristos,” to life imprisonment in hard labour following his conviction for the murder of Issah Yahaya and twenty-two other individuals.
Appearing before the court on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, Abdulai pleaded guilty to a staggering series of killings, admitting to sixteen murders in Wa, five in Bole, and two others in Banda Nkwanta and Bamboi. The presiding judge, His Lordship Justice Osei-Wusu Antwi, handed down the sentence after the convict, who was represented by counsel, entered a guilty plea following his committal from the District Magistrate Court.
Abdulai’s arrest on October 6, 2025, was the result of a sustained, intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Police Service aimed at curbing a wave of mysterious killings that had gripped the Upper West and Savannah Regions.
According to police reports, the convict will serve his life term at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison. Following the sentencing, the Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Yiribadre, reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to the rule of law and assured the public that the police would remain relentless in their efforts to maintain a safe and secure environment for all law-abiding citizens.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
