The killing of young Austin Tengeeh at Sakumono near Tema is heartbreaking. A life cut short over what has been described as a misunderstanding or argument. No civilised society can watch such an act and remain unmoved. His family deserves justice. Liberia deserves answers. Ghana must act.

But we must also be honest.

Mob justice, lynching, jungle justice, call it what you will, is not new to Ghana. It is not selective of nationality. And it is certainly not proof, in and of itself, of xenophobia.

This is a social canker that has consumed Ghanaians themselves for decades.

We Have Done This To Ourselves

Ghanaians have been beaten, burnt and stoned to death by fellow Ghanaians based on suspicion alone.

The lynching of Maxwell Adam Mahama in 2017 remains one of the most painful national memories. A soldier was mistaken for an armed robber and beaten to death, filmed and disseminated. Later, twelve people were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. A statue was raised in his honour. Yet the practice did not end.

Then there was Akua Denteh, a 90-year-old woman publicly beaten to death in 2020 after being accused of witchcraft. Two women were jailed for twelve years each. The video shocked the nation. It should have shamed us into permanent reform. It did not.

Research tracking media reports between 1999 and 2017 identified at least 331 reported mob justice incidents in Ghana. That is not a rumour. That is a documented pattern. And those are only the reported cases.

So when Austin Tengeeh was killed, the brutal truth is this: Ghanaians have killed Ghanaians the same way.

That reality does not diminish the pain of his death. It contextualises it.

Liberia Has Faced the Same Tragedy

Before anger spirals into threats and retaliation, it is important to acknowledge something equally uncomfortable.

Liberia has also recorded mob killings.

Liberian media and human rights reports have documented cases in recent years where individuals were beaten to death over accusations of theft or witchcraft. The Independent National Commission on Human Rights in Liberia has flagged mob violence as a recurring concern. Elderly women have been killed over witchcraft claims. Young men have been beaten to death over theft allegations.

This is not a Ghanaian disease. It is an African governance and justice crisis.

The Wider African Pattern

Amnesty International documented at least 555 victims of mob violence in Nigeria between 2012 and 2023 across 363 incidents. Some were burnt alive. Some were buried alive. Many were accused without proof.

In South Africa, police statistics have shown hundreds of murders annually linked to mob action in certain years.

In Uganda, police crime reports have recorded hundreds of lynching victims in a single year.

The pattern is consistent: where citizens lose confidence in policing, where justice is slow, where rumours travel faster than facts, mobs form.

And mobs do not ask for passports.

This Is Not Xenophobia — Unless Proven Otherwise

To label Austin’s killing as xenophobia without evidence that his attackers knew he was Liberian is dangerous.

It fuels anger.
It invites retaliation.
It risks innocent Ghanaians in Liberia.

Mob justice in Ghana has claimed the lives of soldiers, elderly women, suspected thieves, mentally ill persons and ordinary passers-by. The victims have overwhelmingly been Ghanaians at the hands of fellow citizens.

If the attackers targeted him because he was Liberian, that must be established in court. If xenophobic intent is proven, it must be condemned without hesitation. But until then, we must resist emotional narratives that inflame cross-border tensions.

Justice must be legal, not emotional.

Why This Happens

Let us confront the root causes:

Weak trust in the police

Delayed court processes

Poor community engagement

Social media misinformation

Deep-seated superstition in some areas

Youth frustration and unemployment

When people believe the system will not act, they act illegally themselves.

That does not excuse it. It explains it.

In the animal kingdom, the strong attack without due process. But human beings created courts, laws and constitutions precisely to rise above that instinct. Once we allow suspicion to replace evidence, civilisation collapses.

What Must Be Done

Swift Prosecution

The Ghana Police Service must investigate Austin Tengeeh’s killing transparently and prosecute those responsible swiftly. Public confidence depends on visible justice.

Public Education Campaigns

National campaigns must reinforce one simple message: hand suspects to the police, never to the mob.

Police Visibility and Rapid Response

Communities prone to mob violence need stronger patrol presence and faster emergency response systems.

Judicial Efficiency

Delayed justice fuels instant injustice. Fast-track courts for mob violence cases would send a clear deterrent signal.

Cross-Border Communication

Ghanaian and Liberian authorities should engage diplomatically to calm tensions and prevent retaliatory narratives.

Community Leadership Accountability

Chiefs, pastors, imams and youth leaders must publicly denounce mob justice and intervene early when rumours spread.

Grief Without Division

Austin Tengeeh’s death is tragic. His family deserves closure. Liberia deserves reassurance. Ghana must demonstrate that the law still governs this land.

But this is not a Ghana-versus-Liberia matter.

It is a law-versus-lawlessness matter.

We dishonour every Ghanaian victim of mob justice, including Major Mahama and Akua Denteh, if we pretend this violence only emerges when a foreigner dies.

The enemy is not nationality.

The enemy is mob mentality.

Let justice speak. Let the courts decide. Let governments act. And let citizens, in Ghana and Liberia alike, refuse to descend into retaliatory rage.

Because once mobs replace law, nobody is safe — not Ghanaian, not Liberian, not anyone.

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The writer, Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie, is a Broadcast Journalist with the Multimedia Group.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely his and do not represent the organisation.

Email: enadadzie@gmail.com