General News of Sunday, 6 September 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

12 Years Behind Bars, First Class Ahead: Meet the Nsawam prison inmate who beat the odds

40-year-old Fuseini Alidu Konlabik during his graduation play video40-year-old Fuseini Alidu Konlabik during his graduation

A 40-year-old Fuseini Alidu Konlabik has made history at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison after obtaining a first-class degree in Bachelor of Education (Junior High Education) from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) while serving a prison term.

The 40-year-old, who is married with children and spent 12 years in prison, attended both Senior High School and university through the distance education programme at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.

Fuseini wrote his Nov/WASSCE examination in 2018 and obtained an aggregate 12 before proceeding to the university.

He has now secured a scholarship to pursue a master's degree through a distance education programme.

“You will spend the whole day in school, and when you come to the cell, you won’t get food to eat. So, if you want to eat sumptuous food, then you can’t be a student,” he said.

“In this life, everything goes with determination. If you plan your life well, you can achieve whatever you want in life.

“Immediately I was sent to Nsawam, I told myself that I will not go back the same, so I have to get something meaningful,” he said in an interview with Crime Check TV on September 3, 2026.

Fuseini, who has now been released from custody, said he was confronted with the realities of life after his wife divorced him.

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“I called my wife one day and she said she is ageing, so she has moved on and married someone else. So, she has found her level,” he added.

He said it was difficult to get people to teach them in their cells, so they always prayed for someone with an educational background to be brought to the prison.

“We always pray that somebody with a degree background is convicted so that he comes and teaches us,” he said.

Fuseini said he is now a History and Government teacher. During his time in custody, he taught at the prison school and eventually became a headmaster there.



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