A 12-year-old boy met his untimely death Sunday afternoon after drowning in a dam while trying to catch fish.

Abdul Latif Yakubu, a primary three pupil of Wa Falahia Islamic Primary School, in the Upper West Region capital, was in the company of ten colleagues when the incident occurred.

One of Latif’s colleagues told Upper West Region Correspondent, Rafiq Salam, that after a first successful fishing expedition, Latif decided to go back into the river for a second time in a different boat.

But unknown to him, the boat he picked for his second expedition was leaking. Latif quickly jumped off the sinking boat and tried to keep afloat, but he was unable to keep his head above the dam waters.

Unable to keep afloat Latif let out a scream and raised his hands, and that would be his last helpless attempt against drowning, Rafiq reports.

The 12-year-old’s lifeless body was brought to the river banks by ‘Rasta’ - a mysterious man wearing dreadlocks. Rasta is believed to possess special powers.

Rasta (holding a bottle) poured out libation before entering the river to bring Latif's body ashore.

According to Rafiq, local divers who were present while little Latif was drowning were afraid to enter the water to rescue him. They were afraid of angering the gods.  So they sent for Rasta.

“It took family members of Latif over three hours to comb the whole of Wa for Rasta…His arrival at the site for the first time forced a smile on the faces of family members. He went to a tree nearby with his colleagues to consult his gods before entering the water. He entered the water with four other men and within four minutes Rasta brought the 12-year-old out of the water”, Rafiq narrates.

This would be Rasta’s nineth such rescue exploits in six years.

Rasta said he was able to bring Latif’s body ashore because he spoke the river gods.

Meanwhile, Latif’s body has since been buried close to the river banks.