According to a report by Ghanaweb on Sunday, May 24, 2026, a retired prison officer identified as Abokyie has shared a chilling story about how one man miraculously escaped death during the last set of executions carried out under former President Jerry John Rawlings.…....
Abokyie, who worked at Nsawam Medium Security Prison, said 19 prisoners had been selected and their documents were signed and approved for execution. The condemned men were moved from their cells to a reception area. There, they were asked to give the names of their next of kin. A pastor was also brought in to pray for them before the executions began.
Abokyie said life inside the condemned cells was terrifying. “Because when one is placed in the condemned cells, anytime you hear them knock on your door, you know it is the end of the road for you,” he said.
But something unexpected happened. When the officers went through the execution documents a second time, they discovered that one prisoner’s name did not have the president’s approval signature on it.
“I told the senior officer only 18 of these people have the president’s signature by their names. He checked and confirmed it was true, so his life was spared,” Abokyie recalled.
That missing signature saved a man’s life. While 18 prisoners met their fate that day, one walked away alive — not because of a court order or a lawyer, but because of a missing signature on a piece of paper.
What makes the story even more remarkable is what happened to the survivor afterward. Abokyie revealed that the man who escaped execution later gave his life to God and became a pastor. Many people who have heard the story say it is clear that God’s hand was upon him.
The video of Abokyie’s account has been widely shared on social media and has sparked massive conversation among Ghanaians about justice, death penalty, and divine intervention.
This story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, life and death can hang on the smallest of details — even something as simple as a missing signature.
