Bishop James Sam, a 31-year-old father of three, is currently serving a two-year, two-month jail term at the Winneba Local Prison.

The Liberian-born man, who is the son of a Ghanaian mother, has shared the circumstances that led to his incarceration.

According to Bishop Sam, who also works as a mason, he moved to Ghana in 2011 to live with his mother, a prophetess. However, due to what he described as a troubled lifestyle, including the smoking of marijuana, his mother eventually asked him to leave the house.

Speaking in an interview with Crime Check, Bishop Sam explained that after being sacked from his mother’s home, he had no option but to seek shelter in an uncompleted building where he served as a caretaker.

He revealed that during his stay there, he took a metal item from the building and sold it as scrap for GH¢500.

According to him, when the person who allowed him to stay in the building discovered the missing metal and confronted him, he admitted selling it.

The man reportedly forgave him but explained that the house did not belong to him and that the decision of the actual owner would prevail.

Bishop Sam said he later contacted the owner of the building, who informed him that the metal was worth GH¢2,400 and demanded full payment or the return of the item. Unable to trace the scrap dealer or raise the money, he was subsequently arrested and sentenced.

Sharing his remorse, Bishop Sam said, “My attitude brought me here. I used to stay with my mother after I came back from Liberia but I was disrespectful towards her, so she sacked me from the house and asked me to go to my father. I didn’t have money, so I started doing scrap work and found shelter at an uncompleted house.

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“There was a metal there that I took and sold for GH¢500. When the man who gave me the place to stay came and asked about the metal, I told him I had sold it. He said he had forgiven me, but the house does not belong to him, so whatever the owner decides would stand.

“The owner said the metal was worth GH¢2,400, so either I pay or return it. I went to look for the person I sold it to, but I couldn’t find him, and I couldn’t raise the money, so I ended up in prison.”

Meanwhile Bishop’s fine has been paid and he is expected to return home after necessary procedure.



AM

Also, watch below Amnesty International's 'Protect the Protest' documentary as the world marks International Human Rights Day 2025





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