A notorious serial killer in Ghana faces life imprisonment with hard labor after confessing to murdering 23 people using a cutlass. Shariff Abdullai, also known as Christos, preyed on nighttime security guards, or watchmen, and individuals with intellectual disabilities across the country.

Targeted Victims and Brutal Methods

A police statement reveals that Abdullai specifically hunted isolated watchmen working night shifts and people described as mentally challenged. He attacked them with a sword-like cutlass, disposing of the bodies by carrying them on his shoulder and burying them in remote bushes to avoid detection.

Confession Details

Abdullai admitted to killing three men with intellectual disabilities and two watchmen in Bole, a town in northern Ghana, along with one additional man and one woman there. He further confessed to 15 murders in Wa, a town in western Ghana. The killings reportedly began as early as 2021.

Arrest and Evidence

Security forces ended the spree through a sustained intelligence operation, arresting Abdullai on October 6, 2025. At his hideout, authorities discovered a cutlass with specially designed edges, a bicycle, and a sack containing meat.

Life Sentence Imposed

The court sentenced Abdullai to life with hard labor at Nsawam Medium Security Prison, located 20 km north of Accra, Ghana’s capital. Despite his guilty plea, the motives behind targeting vulnerable watchmen and those with disabilities remain unclear, marking him as one of Africa’s most prolific killers this century.