The disturbing ordeal of a 24-year-old Ghanaian man, who narrowly escaped death at the hands of an anti-LGBT mob, has surfaced through multiple sources familiar with his background. The young man, identified as Yussif Issah , was reportedly saved by a traditional healer, Haruna Arimiyaw, after being ambushed, tortured, and sentenced to death for his sexual orientation.
Born in Teshie, Accra, Yussif was raised in a polygamous household where his mother was the third wife of Issah Issahaku. She died when he was an infant, and he was left to be raised by stepmothers—an experience described by neighbors as “emotionally abusive” and “deeply discriminatory.”
By age 10, Yussif had started avoiding his home due to persistent mistreatment. Local residents said they often saw him roaming the streets and occasionally offered him food and clothes. “We told him how his mother suffered in her marriage and tried to run away to live freely, but it brought her shame,” one neighbor recalled, adding, “It’s as if history repeated itself through him.”
He later lived with his grandmother in the Ashanti Region, who enrolled him in school and tried to counsel him. According to those who knew them, Yussif once confided in her about his attraction to men. “She begged him to avoid men, telling him it was religiously wrong,” said a source close to the family. “But he battled depression and tried to date women, though he was never truly happy.”
His world collapsed further in 2013 when his grandmother died from an illness. He refused to return to his father’s house until poverty forced him back. Later, he enrolled at Al-Azharia Islamic Institute in Kumasi but dropped out due to mental health struggles. He then pursued construction work, which introduced him to the hustle of city life—and places like Abrantie Spot, where he occasionally relaxed.
Everything changed in June 2022 during a visit to a beach in Accra, where Yussif met a man named Hakim. The two became close, and Yussif, believing he had finally found love, lavished gifts on him. But the relationship was a trap.
On November 27, 2022, Hakim invited Yussif to his home. During what seemed to be a private moment, Yussif kissed him—only for his stepmother and several men to burst into the room. “It was a setup,” a source revealed. “They had planted cameras and were waiting to catch him red-handed.”
Following the ambush, he was beaten by a mob, tied to a tree in a nearby bush, and left to be lynched at night. “His father reportedly called him a disgrace and demanded severe punishment,” the source added. “They declared it a matter of community justice.”
Before night approached, a woman passing through the bush spotted him and screamed. She returned shortly with a young man who untied him and rushed him to a herbal clinic, where he remained unconscious for three days.
When he recovered, the herbalist questioned him about what happened. Yussif recounted the entire ordeal, from family rejection to the staged betrayal and beating. “I told him I had nowhere to go. I pleaded for safety,” he reportedly said.
Haruna Arimiyaw, moved by Yussif’s story and aware of the rising attacks on LGBTQ individuals—fueled by public stigma and Ghana’s recent anti-LGBTQ legislation—agreed to shelter him in secret. He reportedly told confidants, “I couldn’t let another person die for who they are,” referencing the 2021 killing of activist Mohammed Kaaka in Ejura.
By early 2023, the herbalist and other Good Samaritans began processing travel documents to help Yussif flee. All preparations were made quietly, and by late March, the papers were complete.
On an undisclosed evening in April 2023, Yussif left Ghana under strict secrecy. His route afterward remains unclear, though sources indicate he spent time in multiple countries before disappearing entirely. His current location remains unknown.
Human rights advocates familiar with the case say Yussif’s story is just one of many. “He represents countless others living in fear,” one activist told Dailyviewgh. “But he’s also proof that compassion can still exist—even in silence.”
While no official statement has been made by the Ghana Police or the family involved, the story of his escape has stirred discreet reflection among locals in the region, where community justice often overrides human rights protections.
What remains is a powerful testament to betrayal, a rare act of bravery by a traditional healer, and a young man whose only crime was being true to himself in a world that refused to accept him.
Dailyviewgh continues to monitor the story and will report any verified updates.
