Ghanaian Mother in Tears After Son Spends 17 Years in Jail for Buying a Stolen Phone
Afia Grace Owusu Ansah, a Ghanaian woman living in Queens, New York, shared a heartbreaking story in an interview with DJ Nyaami on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide Show. She recounted how her friend’s son, Kingsley Amankwah, has been imprisoned for nearly two decades over a stolen phone he unknowingly bought.
According to Afia Grace, the incident happened 17 years ago. Her friend called to inform her that his son, Kingsley, had been arrested after purchasing a stolen phone at Circle in Accra. Later, it was revealed that the phone was linked to a robbery incident involving three boys, including Kingsley. The other two suspects were released, but Kingsley was not as fortunate.
The family made numerous efforts to seek justice. They hired a lawyer and paid legal fees amounting to GHS 5,000, but the case barely progressed. Kingsley was eventually sentenced to 65 years in prison in February 2009. At the time of his conviction, he was just 22 years old and a promising footballer. Despite being in jail, he has maintained a good attitude and is said to be doing well—he even served as a university captain within the prison.
His mother visits him every weekend, but recently, Kingsley asked her to stop coming. Now 39 years old, he has spent 17 years behind bars. The family believes there has been a miscarriage of justice.
His mother explained that on the day of his arrest, a friend visited their home and claimed the CID from Ofankor Police Station had requested Kingsley to pay GHS 2,000 to avoid arrest. The following day, he was arrested and taken in alongside some friends. One of the boys spent only six years in prison and was later released.
Kingsley was allegedly mistaken for a notorious armed robber known as “Spider,” who shared the same nickname. The confusion, his mother believes, contributed to his harsh sentence. According to her, Kingsley had high hopes after high school and wanted to join the military. His uncle in Germany had even gifted him a phone, which he swapped for a newer one—the same phone that reportedly got him into trouble.
The robbery he was linked to involved a retired soldier whose house was attacked. The stolen phone from the robbery was later found in Kingsley’s possession, leading to the charge of robbery and the severe sentence. Despite an appeal that reduced the sentence to 20 years, the family remains hopeful that something more can be done.
His mother, now 64, says she feels broken each time she sees Kingsley’s friends walking free, while her son—her only male child among four siblings—remains behind bars. She insists: “My son is not a thief.”
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