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Killer of Jirapa ‘Dubai’ owner [Eric Johnson] sentenced to life imprisonment
Posted On 17 Oct 2025
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Elisha Mahama Akpanichie, the main accused person in the murder of Eric Johnson, the owner of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, popularly known as Jirapa ‘Dubai’, has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The High Court in Wa, presided over by Justice Yussif Assibey, which convicted and sentenced Elisha Mahama on Wednesday [Oct 15, 2025], however, acquitted and discharged two other accused persons, Belinda Miller and Kweku Kumbata.
Elisha Mahama Akpanichie is 33 years-old.
The tragic incident occurred on February 11, 2024, at Jirapa, when Mahama brutally murdered Eric Johnson and escaped.
The police launched an intelligence-led operation that led to his arrest in the Central Region days later.
After investigations and with the necessary evidence gathered, the prosecution ensured a successful prosecution.
After the trial at the Wa High Court, the court found him guilty of murder and accordingly sentenced him to life imprisonment to be served at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison.
The court also acquitted and discharged Belinda Miller and Kweku Kumbata, who were also standing trial in connection with the case.
The owner of the safari resort in Jirapa in the Upper West Region, commonly referred to as “Jirapa Dubai” was killed in February 2024.
Eric Johnson was stabbed to death.
He had recently built the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, nicknamed Jirapa Dubai, in the Upper West Region.
It has a 4-km safari park with various kinds of animals including zebras. It has an artificial lake with fishes, aqua activities or games (Jet Ski),
On the night of February 10, 2024, he was attacked and stabbed to death.
Eric Johnson, an entrepreneur decided to build the safari resort in Jirapa to help create employment opportunities in the area and also to help open the area to tourists to help boost the local economy.
Elisha Mahama was a former human resource manager at the hotel and was sacked for allegedly having multiple sexual relationships with more than four female employees of the hotel, which resulted in fighting and unhealthy rivalry among the female workers, thereby impeding work at the hotel.
The prosecution told the court that Elisha Mahama entered the private residence of Eric Johnson on the night of February 10, scaling the fortified fenced wall with the aid of a ladder.
Available phone records to the police indicated that he placed several calls to Belinda Miller whilst at the private residence, asking her where he could locate the master key to Mr Johnson’s room.
Elisha Mahama entered Mr Johnson’s room and stabbed him multiple times, leaving him naked and in a pool of blood, the prosecution told the court.
The prosecution revealed that he also took an unspecified amount of money from the room and his private Nissan car key, which he used to go out of the crime scene and later abandoned the car at Jirapa Zongo.
The prosecution also told the court that Elisha Mahama on the evening of February 10, left another girlfriend, Laureate Asare in his room with the pretext of going to buy her food.
Source: Graphic
