Watchman jailed for stealing €5,600 from NHIS Head Office to pay school fees

A man has been jailed for stealing 5,600 euros from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Head Office—allegedly to pay his children’s school fees.

They say desperate times call for desperate measures—but when a night watchman raids the vault of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme to pay school fees, the question isn’t just “Why did he do it?” It’s “Why did he have to?”

The accused, identified as Samuel Nortey Botchway, 40, was caught red-handed after siphoning off 5,600 euros, roughly 75,000 Ghana cedis, from the NHIS funds. The money, reportedly intended for health insurance services, was diverted to cover mounting school fees—a basic expense that apparently pushed him over the edge.

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The thefts were uncovered after the victim installed a CCTV camera in his office following earlier incidents. Botchway admitted to stealing a universal entry card from his superior to access the victim’s office, where he took the money in three separate incidents.

Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, who led the prosecution, told the court that the victim, Head of Administration at NHIS, had stored 5,740 euros in a drawer before traveling abroad.

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He noticed that 3,300 euros and 1,300 euros were stolen on May 17 and May 24, 2025, respectively. Prompting the victim to install a hidden camera. On June 19, after installing the hidden camera, a further 1,000 euros was found missing, leaving only €40. The footage led to Botchway’s arrest.

He returned GH¢10,000 to the police but used the rest to refurbish his room, buy a refrigerator, a television, clothes, and shoes; pay school fees; and spend on food and drinks.

An Accra circuit court sentenced Botchway to 7 years imprisonment, sparking fierce debate on whether he is a criminal or a victim of a broken system.