A Ghanaian man who was allegedly attacked with acid by a fellow Ghanaian in Dubai has appealed for justice.

Recounting his experience in an interview on JoyNews monitored by GhanaWeb on August 12, 2026, he said the incident has left him struggling to provide for his family after returning home.

Alex Yaw Degle, who left Ghana for Dubai in April 2022 in search of better opportunities, said he spent about eight months looking for employment before finally landing one.

“I traveled to Dubai. That was in 2022, April, and I went there. And you know, Dubai is a country that is a tough country… I stayed around for 8 months before getting a job. And the job I got was a decoration job,” he recounted.

Alex said he later decided to leave the decoration job because his preferred occupation was driving.

He subsequently found work with a mechanic.

He was living in shared accommodation with Ghanaians and people of other nationalities when, according to him, a disagreement with a Ghanaian housemate identified as Michael escalated.

“We started exchanging words. So, that was when Michael told me that you will see what I'll do to you. I'll show you. I did not take it seriously because I know that I didn't do anything bad or wrong to Michael,” he stated.

According to Alex, the following day, Michael allegedly confronted him again and later returned with a bottle containing acid.

“Tha time because of the heat, I had removed my shirt and hung it on the dryer before cooking in the kitchen.

“... He came back, but I did not know he had opened the bottle already. So, he got near me. I turned my face like this and he just poured it on me… he poured it on my face," he alleged.

Alex said another person at the scene called an ambulance, which took him to the hospital.

“The man who collected the hammer from him was the same person who called the ambulance. So, the ambulance came and picked me up to the hospital. I did not see anything again," he narrated.

Alex said he regained consciousness towards the end of January 2024. A police officer later showed him a photograph and asked him to identify the man who allegedly attacked him.

“By the time I woke up, the only thing I saw was a CID who came to me… he brought a picture asking me if this is the guy who poured the acid on me. And I said yes," he recounted.

According to him, the police told him the suspect had been arrested.

After his discharge from hospital, Alex said the case was referred to the public prosecution in Dubai.

He also sought assistance from Ghana's mission in the United Arab Emirates.

According to him, the mission provided the contact of a lawyer and 2,000 dirhams towards legal support.

Alex, however, said the lawyer failed to attend court and later demanded an additional 24,000 dirhams for legal expenses.

With no money to continue the legal process and also struggling to pay for accommodation and food, he eventually returned to Ghana.

“The suffering and what we are passing through over there, where to sleep, what to eat. We cannot continue to be asking for help. So, we decided to come back home to Ghana so that maybe we can get help from Ghana, from our leaders. But we came back, and I have continued calling out for justice. No one is hearing me out,” he said.

Alex said he is struggling to support his wife, Monica, and their two children.

He currently lives with his family in an unfinished room, which he said has no toilet or bathroom.

“Life is tough because I'm a family man and I'm the one taking care of the house," he stated.

Alex said financial support he received after his story was reported in the media helped him carry out some work on the building.

"...People contributed money for me. And people too saw me and they gave me this place that I should stay. The money they donated for me, that was the money I used for the burglar proof and the roofing and ceiling," he said.

However, he said the building has not been completed.

“If you go inside, you can see there is nothing inside. No paint, no tiles, nothing. If rain is falling, the water enters the room.

“There is no washroom, no toilet. So, if you want to go to the toilet in the evening, unless you go to the bush. And these children all go to the bush at night, including my wife," he stated.

A Ghanaian man who was allegedly attacked with acid by a fellow Ghanaian in Dubai has appealed for justice.

Recounting his experience in an interview on JoyNews monitored by GhanaWeb on August 12, 2026, he said the incident has left him struggling to provide for his family after returning home.

Yaw Alex Degle, who left Ghana for Dubai in April 2022 in search of better opportunities, said he spent about eight months looking for employment before finally landing one.

“I traveled to Dubai. That was in 2022, April, and I went there. And you know, Dubai is a country that is a tough country… I stayed around for 8 months before getting a job. And the job I got was a decoration job,” he recounted.

Alex said he later decided to leave the decoration job because his preferred occupation was driving.

He subsequently found work with a mechanic.

He was living in shared accommodation with Ghanaians and people of other nationalities when, according to him, a disagreement with a Ghanaian housemate identified as Michael escalated.

“We started exchanging words. So, that was when Michael told me that you will see what I'll do to you. I'll show you. I did not take it seriously because I know that I didn't do anything bad or wrong to Michael,” he stated.

According to Alex, the following day, Michael allegedly confronted him again and later returned with a bottle containing acid.

“That time, because of the heat, I had removed my shirt and hung it on the dryer before cooking in the kitchen.

“... He came back, but I did not know he had opened the bottle already. So, he got near me. I turned my face like this and he just poured it on me… he poured it on my face," he alleged.

Alex said another person at the scene called an ambulance, which took him to the hospital.

Ghanaian victim demands justice after acid attack by fellow expatriate in Dubai

“The man who collected the hammer from him was the same person who called the ambulance. So, the ambulance came and picked me up to the hospital. I did not see anything again," he narrated.

Alex said he regained consciousness towards the end of January 2024. A police officer later showed him a photograph and asked him to identify the man who allegedly attacked him.

“By the time I woke up, the only thing I saw was a CID who came to me… he brought a picture asking me if this is the guy who poured the acid on me. And I said yes," he recounted.

According to him, the police told him the suspect had been arrested.

After his discharge from hospital, Alex said the case was referred to the public prosecution in Dubai.

He also sought assistance from Ghana's mission in the United Arab Emirates.

According to him, the mission provided the contact of a lawyer and 2,000 dirhams towards legal support.

Alex, however, said the lawyer failed to attend court and later demanded an additional 24,000 dirhams for legal expenses.

With no money to continue the legal process and also struggling to pay for accommodation and food, he eventually returned to Ghana.

“The suffering and what we are passing through over there, where to sleep, what to eat. We cannot continue to be asking for help. So, we decided to come back home to Ghana so that maybe we can get help from Ghana, from our leaders. But we came back, and I have continued calling out for justice. No one is hearing me out,” he said.

Alex said he is struggling to support his wife, Monica, and their two children.

He currently lives with his family in an unfinished room, which he said has no toilet or bathroom.

“Life is tough because I'm a family man and I'm the one taking care of house", he stated.

Alex said financial support he received after his story was reported in the media helped him carry out some work on the building.

"...People contributed money for me. And people too saw me and they gave me this place that I should stay. The money they donated for me, that was the money I used for the burglar proof and the roofing and ceiling," he said.

However, he said the building has not been completed.

“If you go inside, you can see there is nothing inside. No paint, no tiles, nothing. If rain is falling, the water enters the room.

“There is no washroom, no toilet. So, if you want to go to the toilet in the evening, unless you go to the bush. And these children all go to the bush at night, including my wife," he stated.

Unable to secure stable employment, Alex now works as a motor rider. He said the work is difficult because some passengers avoid him because of his appearance.

“It's quite tough. It's not all the people that like taking my motor... A lot of people too have been seeing me in the media, so they know that it's not the Okada business that did this to me. It's someone who did this to me.

“Some people too, if they see me, they say they are afraid of me, so they can't take my bike. Some people do see me, then they run away,” he stated.

He has also built a shop for his wife but said he has no money to stock it with goods.

“I finished doing the container. I don't have money to buy goods or things for her to sell inside. The container is just there like that. And rain is beating the container each and every blessed day.

“So, the container is at the roadside. And for me it's the Okada business that I'm doing small, small to take care of the children and my mom as well,” Alex shared.

According to him, he has petitioned the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Ghana, the police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the incident.

He said he has also submitted evidence relating to the case and was promised a response but has not heard from the authorities.

Alex said he is hopeful that authorities will intervene and help him seek justice.

JKB/VPO

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