The Sekondi High Court has ordered the Ghana Police Service to pay GH¢2 million in compensation to the family of a Fijai-based taxi driver who died while in police custody.
The ruling concerns the death of Joseph Entsie, a 53-year-old commercial driver who operated from the Fijai taxi rank in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis.
Entsie was arrested on December 25, 2021, after he was accused of drunk driving and allegedly hitting a police officer at a checkpoint near the Effia Nkwanta Nurses Quarters. He was detained at the Sekondi Police Station and later pronounced dead.
At the time of his death, police officials told the family that Entsie had taken his own life while in the cell. That account was later challenged in court.
In November 2022, the Commercial Division of the Sekondi High Court, presided over by Justice Sedina Agbemava, ruled that Entsie was killed by police officers, rejecting the claim that he died by suicide.
Following that decision, the family filed a fresh suit against the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney General, demanding GH¢5 million in compensation.
In its final judgment delivered on Thursday, February 5, 2026, the court awarded GH¢2 million as general compensation.
The court further directed the police to bear the full cost of mortuary bills from the date of Entsie’s death to his burial and ordered the immediate release of his body to the family.
Claims for GH¢80,000 as funeral expenses were dismissed.
Additional awards included GH¢210,000 in special damages, daily compensation for the period he spent in custody, and the return of his personal belongings.
