The Government of Ghana has approved the engagement of American civil‑rights lawyer Ben Crump to assist in securing justice for Ghanaian nationals who have been killed in the United States in recent months.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the development in a Facebook post, noting that Ghana’s Permanent Mission in New York had received approval to engage the services of the celebrated lawyer at no cost to the Ghanaian taxpayer.
The move is part of the government’s efforts to pursue accountability in the deaths of Ghanaian nationals in the United States, amid growing concerns over a series of killings involving citizens in different American states.
Ablakwa said the government is determined to explore every available avenue to ensure that the families of the deceased obtain justice. “Ghana will go every length to secure justice and safeguard the dignity of our dear nationals abroad,” he added.
The engagement comes against the backdrop of several disturbing deaths involving Ghanaian nationals across the United States, with some of the cases attracting public attention because of the circumstances surrounding them.
Among the victims is 15‑year‑old Javits Badu‑Nkansah Frimpong, who was fatally shot in the Bronx, New York, on 29 October 2026 while reportedly on his way to school. Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, subsequently called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.
Another Ghanaian whose death raised serious concerns is 24‑year‑old Joseph Owusu, who was found dead in a large duffel bag abandoned on a pavement in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York, on 30 October 2026. Owusu, who lived in the Bronx, had reportedly been missing for about two weeks before his body was discovered by a person searching for scrap metal. Surveillance footage later emerged showing two unidentified individuals removing a large black bag from the boot of a white sedan and leaving it on the pavement before driving away.
A further case involves 37‑year‑old Akpene Diamond Tetteh, a Ghanaian PhD graduate who was shot dead in Savannah, Georgia, on 12 February 2026, just weeks after completing her doctoral studies.
As the government moves forward with the legal engagement, observers will watch how the U.S. justice system responds to the appeals for accountability and whether the families of the deceased will see tangible progress.
