A 42-year-old self-styled Imam in Wa has been convicted of defiling a 7-year-old boy who lived next door.

The Wa High Court sentenced Ilyasu Konate to 10 years' imprisonment in hard labour.

The verdict ended what prosecutors called a “highly expedited trial” and delivers a warning to child abusers in Upper West, where authorities say cases of child molestation are surging.

Principal State Attorney Abdul Saeed Shakur told JoyNews on Thursday that Konate capitalized on his status as a trusted neighbor to access the victim. Konate lived in Kabenya, a suburb of Wa. So did the 7-year-old boy and his sister.

“Families trusted him with their children. He was always with them,” Mr Saaed said.

“He decided to take advantage of that trust.” On the day of the assault (January 17, 2026), Konate offered the children a ride on his motorbike.

He also took his own stepdaughter. He drove them to a secluded area — behind a long articulated truck parked near the tennis court, at the back of Block B, Upper West Regional Coordinating Council.

There, he sexually abused the boy. Police were called after which Konate was arraigned at the Wa High Court within weeks.

In court, Konate denied the charge of defilement of a child under age 16. He admitted taking the children to the location but claimed nothing happened.

The court heard otherwise. The 7-year-old testified in-camera. A medical doctor confirmed the boy had been sexually assaulted.

The child’s mother also gave evidence. “He stood on a claim that he didn’t do it. But the court disagreed," Mr Saeed said.

“The medical evidence supported our case. The testimony of the child supported our case. The science showed activity around the anal area of the child. All that, combined with the mother’s testimony, led to the conviction.”

Mr. Saeed praised the supervising Wa Supervising High Court Judge, Justice Osei Antwi-Wusu, for the judgment he described as “deep, analytical, and well-researched,” touching on “the science, the facts, even child psychology.

The judge didn’t take anything to chance. “For a long time, we haven’t sat through a judgment like this.
Mr Saeed, however, said the case is not isolated.

“Child molestation is quite prevalent in Upper West Region,” he said. “As I speak, there’s one still loading.

Many others are not reported. Many are pushed away because of relationships. And often, it is people close to the children who take advantage.”

"The court was forthright, we are coming. Anybody involved in child molestation, if we catch you, we will unleash the law in all its rigour. If you’re involved in these things, the day we get you, the law will take its full course.”

The trial was heard in-camera to protect the 7-year-old victim’s identity, in line with legal protections for minors. Konate was led away to begin his sentence immediately.

For the boy’s family, Mr Saeed said, the verdict brings “relief, finally.”