For 28-year-old Alex Degle, the pain of an acid attack he suffered in Dubai did not end when his wounds healed. Nearly three years later, he lives with a disfigured face, severe scars on his body and the daily struggle to provide for his family.

Degle travelled to Dubai in search of work and a better life for his wife, children and mother. Instead, he returned to Ghana after months of hospital treatment and plastic surgery, carrying injuries that have changed both his appearance and his ability to earn a living.

He alleges that a fellow Ghanaian he identifies as Michael attacked him with acid on December 23, 2023, following a disagreement at the house where they lived.

According to Degle, the dispute began over a 20-dirham [$6.00] debt and later resurfaced during a card game. He says Michael first attempted to strike him before leaving the house.

Degle was preparing food in the kitchen when Michael allegedly returned carrying a bottle containing a clear liquid. He says the substance was poured over his face and body without warning.

The liquid was acid.

Degle recalls an immediate and overwhelming burning sensation before losing consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital with severe burns and says he regained consciousness in January 2024.

He remained in hospital for several months, undergoing treatment and plastic surgery. The attack left his face completely disfigured and severe scars all over his body.

JoyNews has not independently verified Degle’s account of the attack or the subsequent legal proceedings.

Search for justice in Dubai

Degle says Dubai police arrested Michael and referred the case to the public prosecutor.

He also sought assistance from the Ghanaian Consulate in Dubai, which he says arranged for a lawyer to assist him. According to Degle, however, the lawyer failed to attend one of the court proceedings and later informed the family that they would need about 24,000 dirhams [$6,535] to cover legal fees and other expenses.

With no job, little money and mounting living costs, Degle says he could no longer remain in Dubai. He eventually returned to Ghana with his mother without securing the justice he had pursued.

Back home, Degle says he submitted documents relating to the case, including information about the man he accuses of attacking him, to Ghanaian authorities. Despite several follow-ups, he says he has received no substantive update.

He believes Michael remains in Dubai.

Rejected because of his appearance

Returning home did not end Degle’s ordeal. His injuries have made it difficult for him to return to the life and work he knew before the attack.

He now rides a commercial motorbike, popularly known as Okada, to support his wife, two children and ageing mother.

But even that work is uncertain. Degle says some passengers refuse to board his motorbike when they see his face. Others who know how he sustained the injuries deliberately patronise him to support his family.

On a good day, he earns between GH¢150 and GH¢200. From that amount, he must provide food, pay school-related expenses and meet the other needs of his household.

“Everything is on me,” he says.

Degle’s children sometimes struggle to obtain school uniforms, books and other essentials. The family lives in an unfinished structure without a toilet and a bathroom, and rainwater enters their room whenever it rains heavily.

Still, each morning, Degle gets back on his motorbike and searches for passengers because his family depends on what he earns that day.

An empty shop and an uncertain future

Degle has also tried to create another source of income for the family.

Using the little money he had after returning from Dubai, he constructed a container shop for his wife. The shop, however, remains empty because he cannot afford to stock it.

He does not want to spend the rest of his life relying on public assistance. His immediate wish is to secure a stable driving job.

Degle says driving is his profession and that he holds a licence permitting him to operate different types of vehicles. He also wants support to stock his wife’s shop so she can earn an income and share the financial burden.

But beyond rebuilding his livelihood, Degle wants the case against the man he accuses of attacking him to be pursued.

Nearly three years after leaving Ghana in search of a better future, he is back home fighting to reclaim his livelihood and obtain justice.

His appeal is simple: help him work again - and ensure the man he accuses of changing his life faces the law.