KNUST students and JHS leaver arrested for alleged sexual extortion

Three young men, including two students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and a Junior High School (JHS) graduate, have been arrested by police for allegedly extorting a former KNUST student through sexual blackmail.

The accused individuals are Jerome Enyam, 19, from Fijai, and Ebenezer Adam, 19, from Kojokrom, both second-year students at KNUST, along with Alhaji Awudu Adams, 18, a JHS leaver from Fijai, Sekondi-Takoradi.

The charges against them include Conspiracy to Commit a Crime, specifically Sexual Extortion, contrary to Section 23 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act. They also face charges under Section 66 of the Cyber Security Act.

Reports indicate that Jerome Enyam and Ebenezer Adam, who are studying Business Administration and Petrochemical Engineering respectively, allegedly conspired to extort money from their victim. The victim, a 20-year-old former KNUST student, is the son of a senior official in a prominent road construction firm in the Western Region.

Inspector Kaylin Yawson, the prosecutor, explained in court that the victim had recorded a private video with his girlfriend, which was saved on his laptop. This video was transferred to the phone of a close friend, Ekow Wilson, without the victim’s consent. Jerome Enyam then acquired the video through an airdrop and shared it with the other accused.

Using the video, Jerome and Ebenezer reportedly blackmailed the victim, demanding GH¢1,800 to prevent its release on social media. On November 7, 2023, the trio allegedly sent an anonymous text demanding GH¢2,500, claiming possession of the intimate video.

During the court hearing on May 27, 2024, Inspector Yawson detailed how a mobile phone containing the video was seized from the accused.

The three suspects, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, were denied bail by Her Ladyship Harriet Charway of the Takoradi Circuit Court.

The case has been adjourned to June 17, 2024, and the accused remains in police custody.