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Tag: DOVVSU

  • Woman accused of stealing baby from Mamprobi Polyclinic granted GHS200k bail

    Woman accused of stealing baby from Mamprobi Polyclinic granted GHS200k bail

    The 33-year-old trader, Latifa Salifu charged with child stealing, has been granted GH¢200,000 bail with conditions by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) Circuit Court.

    Latifa Salifu has been required to have two sureties with one of whom must justify with landed property valued at GH¢150,000. The court has directed the accused to surrender all her travel documents.

    They are expected to submit official identification (Ghana Cards) to the court as part of the bail conditions. She has been directed to appear before the investigator every Monday and Thursday at 1:00 p.m. until further notice. Meanwhile, Latifa Salifu has pleaded not guilty to charges labeled against her.

    Latifa Iddrisu, a cloth seller in Accra, has recently made headlines for allegedly stealing a newborn baby delivered via cesarean section by the child’s biological mother on Tuesday, February 17.
    The incident caused panic among staff and patients at the facility, calling for an intervention by authorities.


    Fortunately, the facility’s CCTV cameras captured her carrying the infant and leaving the premises with what appeared to be a sack disguised as a nurse. Following the discovery, the police traced her whereabouts at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where she was found with the baby on Wednesday, February 18.


    Many Ghanaians have expressed concern over apparent gaps in hospital security systems. Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, and the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, have been lauded for their collective efforts, which led to the baby’s rescue.


    A similar incident occurred in Zebilla District Hospital in the Bawku West district of the Upper East Region, where a one-week-old baby was reportedly stolen.


    The infant, born to Felicia Dery, was taken in a concerning incident, shedding light on significant gaps in hospital security protocols. Zangina Grace, a midwife on duty, recounted the series of events to Adom News.


    According to her, the baby’s mother delivered on May 25, 2024, at the hospital. The mother, having formed a bond with a stranger posing as a patient’s relative, entrusted her baby to the stranger while she bathed. Later, it was discovered that this imposter had a male accomplice.


    “When she returned, the man and the lady were not to be found. They left with the baby. So it has been very sad. A mother who came to deliver through a C-section met some strange people who befriended her. She left her baby with them to go and have her bath, and when she returned, they had disappeared,” she added.


    Grace also lamented the hospital’s inadequate security measures. She disclosed the lack of CCTV cameras and proper fencing, making it easier for such incidents to go unnoticed.
    Furthermore, the midwife advocated for stricter visitor regulations, proposing adherence to visiting hours and limiting visitors to prevent similar occurrences in the future.


    The baby’s father also spoke with Adom News, offering additional insights into how the culprits were identified and apprehended.
    “She left her ID cards, and that was how we were able to identify her. They circulated it, and that was how they caught her. I wanted to see her, but the police didn’t allow me to enter the station,” he explained.


    “We had an unforeseen incident where someone was able to outwit a mother and steal her baby. During visiting hours, she gained the mother’s trust, who gave her baby to take her bath. When she returned, the baby was gone. Through timely community intervention, we have apprehended the suspect, and the baby is safe in our custody. The suspect has since been arrested by the police,” Dr. Abdul-Rahaman stated.


    In Walewale, North East Region, a 27-year-old woman, Abdulai Zalia, has been arrested by the West Mamprusi Police Command for allegedly stealing a 13-month-old baby.


    The suspect took the baby while the mother was asleep, and the baby’s absence was only noticed when the father returned.

  • 3 individuals in police grips over theft of persons a week-old baby

    3 individuals in police grips over theft of persons a week-old baby

    The Kasoa Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service has apprehended three individuals accused of abducting a baby less than a week old.

    The suspects—Magdalene Nana Adwoa Boafo, 28; Faustina Binney, 32; and Eunice Koomson, 36, a teacher—reportedly took the baby from its mother, Ms. Abigail Addison, 29, under the false claim that the infant had an infection requiring specialist treatment.

    Ms. Addison recounted that Adwoa Boafo, the primary suspect, approached her when she was eight months pregnant, offering financial assistance.

    Boafo later introduced Binney and Koomson as her helpers, and they moved Ms. Addison from Ofaakor-Jei River to a rented apartment in Lamptey, a suburb of Adam Nana in Kasoa, where they continued their support until she gave birth at the Kasoa Polyclinic on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

    Following the birth, the suspects, alleging that the baby had an infection, presented another woman as a medical professional from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, who supposedly took the baby for treatment at the facility.

    A few days later, the suspects told Ms. Addison that her baby had died; however, she disputed this claim and reported the situation to the police.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police Mrs. Doris Laryea, Commander of the Kasoa DOVVSU, led a team that arrested Adwoa Boafo, who initially claimed the baby was deceased but later confessed during intense questioning that the baby was still alive.

    Adwoa Boafo then guided the police to Gbawe, where the baby was found alive.

    All three suspects are scheduled to appear in court on Monday, July 22.

  • Woman in police grips for allegedly assaulting 9-year-old nephew in Accra

    Woman in police grips for allegedly assaulting 9-year-old nephew in Accra

    Woman apprehended for purportedly physically attacking her 9-year-old nephew, Nhyira Ohene Owiredu, under her supervision in Adenta, Accra.

    The boy sustained injuries to his back and head, sparking community concern and indignation.

    Per reports, Nhyira relocated from his mother’s residence in Kasoa to stay with his aunt during the holiday break.

    Initially, the aunt informed the family that Nhyira enjoyed residing with her, mentioning that she had enrolled him in a new school and arranged private lessons.

    However, the reality was different.

    Reports suggest that the aunt exploited the boy for her personal tasks and turned to abuse when Nhyira failed to meet her expectations.

    The abusive circumstances were exposed when vigilant residents observed Nhyira’s condition and notified the Adenta Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.

    Prompt action by residents and DOVVSU resulted in the aunt’s arrest.

    The child is currently under DOVVSU custody while awaiting the parents’ formal complaint and the return of their son.

  • Sociologist calls for support for ‘under resourced’ DOVVSU

    Sociologist calls for support for ‘under resourced’ DOVVSU

    A Sociologist at the University of Ghana, Dr Mark Kwaku Mensah Obeng, has called on the government to support the Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service with the needed resources and infrastructure to beef up their workout put. 

    His position comes on the back of reported cases of jilted murder in the last month and the DOVVSU’s seeming inability to clamp them down. 

    In an interview with GhanaWeb, the Sociologist mentioned that often times the facilities of the DOVVSU are not welcoming to abuse victims. 

    “I think our DOVVSU really needs support. In fact, in some of the places, when you go there, even the desk that is supposed to be given to the woman who has been traumatized is not welcoming,” he said. 

    Dr Mensah Obeng stressed that abuse victims must be met with welcoming environments. 

    “Somebody is running from murder, somebody has been threatened, the first thing you want to assure that person is that, there is a shelter for somebody. I don’t mean the physical shelter but at least the officer should be welcoming, he added. 

    Although the Ghana Police Service organises trainings for their personnel, Dr Mensah Obeng, said sometimes the personnel do not put the training to use. 

    “And I know the police service has been running a series of trainings for their officers but sometimes you see the difference between the training and what actually happens on the ground. I think we need to double our game,” he stated. 

  • DOVVSU manhunt for 32-yr-old who impregnated two nieces

    DOVVSU manhunt for 32-yr-old who impregnated two nieces

    Kobina Appiah, 32, is wanted by the DOVVSU’s Agona Swedru Division for allegedly defiling and impregnating his two nieces.

    The victims’ mother, Afua Yeboah, claims that the suspect, a bamboo salesman, seduced and intoxicated the two victims, who were 14 and 16, on two separate occasions, and then had sex with both of them.

    Both Benkumhene of Agona Nyarkrom and Nana Owiro XIV, the regent of Agona Abodom, confirmed the incident and said they will do all it takes to help the police catch the perpetrator.

    Also, he promised that because the kids are currently experiencing emotional pain, their top concern will be to safeguard them.

  • Police officer confesses to touching alleged defiled girl’s breast

    Police officer confesses to touching alleged defiled girl’s breast

    A police officer has admitted to touching the breast of a 14 year old girl who was allegedly defiled.

    When G/CPL Emmanuel Duah, 46, appeared before a Ho Circuit Court on February 1, 2023, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of defilement.

    The accused is standing trial for allegedly defiling a class five pupil, now 14, at Ave-Xevi in the Akatsi North District on September 29, 2021, in a yet-to-be-commissioned police station while on duty there.

    The court heard that the accused, a police officer popularly known as Bob Marley, requested from the victim who had gone to fetch rain water from a silver basin at the frontage of the police station to go buy him water, a request the victim declined and insisted on going to first inform her parent before she could run the errand for the accused.

    The court was told, “the accused person then took the basin from her and forcibly held her hands, covered her mouth and carried her into one of the rooms at the police station and forcefully had sexual intercourse with her.”

    The prosecution also told the court that, G/CPL Emmanuel Duah in a caution statement taken at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Tongu Division in Sogakope, when he was first arrested, admitted that “he held the hand and touched the breast of the victim” but denied having sex with her.

    The prosecution has since filed the weighing card and a medical report of the tests conducted on the victim on the night of the incident in the case docket.

    Upon taking a plea from the accused, the court granted him a GHS50,000 bail with two sureties; one of whom must be a public servant is expected to reappear in court on February 22, 2023.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Volta records decrease in rape, defilement cases in 2022

    Volta records decrease in rape, defilement cases in 2022

    Volta region has seen a decline in rape and defilement cases in 2022 as against 2021.

    The region recorded 31 and 39 rape and defilement cases in 2022 as against 49 and 136 in 2021, respectively.

    There was also a decrease in abduction, non-maintenance, and assault cases in the year under review, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Juliana Mawusi Yuiah, Deputy Coordinator of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Volta Regional Police Command, has disclosed.

    DSP Yuiah who made the disclosure at an end-of-year Volta Child Protection Committee meeting said the reduction in the cases was due to the education carried out by the Unit and that there were plans to intensify the education this year.

    The Coordinator said apart from receiving and investigating cases of abuse against children, they also undertook sensitisation activities, especially in schools to educate the pupils and students on sexual-related abuses.

    She said the engagement was targeted at both Primary and Junior High students to educate them on the common ploys adopted by perpetrators to abuse or exploit them so they would be vigilant to avoid falling prey to their stratagem.

    DSP Yuiah said the consequences of rape and defilement were dire, hence, the education was also aimed to empower and encourage the students to come out boldly to report such cases to the appropriate authorities for proper handling.

    “Schools visited in the year under review included Philip Akpo R.C Junior High School, Ho Kpodzi Basic Schools, Mawuli Primary, Dora Memorial School complex, Holy schools and Junior high schools, UHAS Basic schools, Islamic Basic School, 66 Artillery Basic Schools, Henry House Basic School,” she said.

    DSP Yuiah said some parents and guardians were also sensitised during Parent Teacher Association meetings on their roles in providing for their children, especially the girl child so they would not fall prey to unscrupulous men.

    On challenges facing the Unit, she said, the Unit was faced with several challenges including lack of means of transport to move swiftly on cases, visit scenes of crimes to pick vital evidence on time and make follow-ups on cases.

    There was also a lack of funds to support victims of abuse, especially rape and defilement victims who were extremely poor and cannot afford to pay their medicals to facilitate investigations, she added and appealed for support.

    Alfred Dzikunoo, Programmes Coordinator, Plan International Ghana, said some selected youth in their operational communities and districts have been trained on how to demand accountability from their respective assemblies.

    Madam Emily Adevor, Partnership Facilitator, Compassion International Ghana, Adaklu-Agotime Cluster, said they implemented several activities in 2022 in safeguarding the rights of children and promoting their welfare.

    She said one of their major focus in the year under review was protecting children against social, psychological, and emotional insecurity and distress, noting that a lot of children suffered such insecurities but not much has been done in that regard to addressing them.

    Madam Adevor said they also intensified education on abuses including physical and sexual in all their operational areas including churches to draw their attention to the need to protect children against all forms of abuse.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Day-old baby abandoned in a bush at Amponsa-Kwaa

    A real estate company, Waterstone Realty Limited, has filed a lawsuit against the Lands Commission regarding the destruction of a two-story multifunctional building that was originally situated where the National Cathedral project is currently at.

    The helpless innocent baby boy was found by a good samaritan who later blew an alarm for people to come around, according to an eyewitness report.

    The unknown mother who dumped her day-old baby into the bush has faced the wrath of residents who witnessed the unfortunate incident.

    According to most of these eyewitnesses who came across this shocking news, the perpetrator of such a heinous act will surely be exposed and be made to pay for her evil deeds.

    The yet-to-be-identified mother who committed the crime has since gone into hiding as both residents and other security agencies have been pursuing her.

    “God will surely punish the wicked mother who threw this child into the bush here,” an angry woman said.

    “Why would you carry a baby for nine months and dump it into the bush just a few days after birth? Is that not madness? I pray God closes this person’s womb forever,” another woman said.

    “This is a bigger abomination and the perpetrators will surely be exposed. They will pay for their evil deeds. How dare you throw a child into a bush alive?” another person reacted.

    Justice Kyei Baffour Awuah aka Wofa Kusi, the Assembly Member for the area who earlier spoke to GhanaWeb said, it was good news the baby was alive.

    He further revealed that the wicked woman who dumped the baby into the bush was going to be pursued by all efforts to be brought to book.

    In an updated report, the honourable member revealed that the case which was initially lodged at the Afasiebon Police Station was later forwarded to the DOVVSU department of the Abuakwa divisional Police station.

    He further revealed that as police seriously manhunt for the wicked mother, the baby had been put on a life-supporting treatment at the hospital.

    Meanwhile, a thorough investigation by GhanaWeb at the time of filing this story revealed that the innocent baby was responding to treatment and that he will soon be discharged.

  • Mother grabbed after dumping a 2-week-old baby in public toilet

    The Gomoa Dominase District Police Command led by DSP David Osei Fofie has arrested 26-year-old Bakusu Maria at Gomoa Potsin for allegedly dumping her two-week-old baby boy into a public toilet.

    A resident who first saw the baby said he had gone to ease himself when he heard the cry of the baby and found him inside the toilet.

    He said, with the help of neighbours, the baby was rescued and taken to the Potsin Polyclinic while a complaint was lodged at the Police station.

    Bakusu was arrested based on Police intelligence.

    The case has since been transferred to Kasoa Divisional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) for further investigations.

    The Central East DOVVSU Coordinator, DSP Doris Laryea said the suspect has been detained and would be processed for court.

    Source: GNA

  • Kasoa DOVVSU gets interview room for Women and Children

    The Criminal and Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has inaugurated the first interview room for Women and Children at the Kasoa Police Station to provide privacy to survivors of domestic violence, while they tell their stories.

    The interview room was fixed with support from UNICEF and Global Affairs Canada.

    Mr David Eklu, the Central East Regional Police Commander, commissioning the room said it would give protection and dignity to Children and Women, who survived domestic abuses.

    “Policing is not only about protecting adults, but children are critical in performing our duties. when they suffer abuse, they need a place, where they can have a peace of mind to settle down for our officers to attend to them,” he said.

    Chief Superintendent of Police Cecilia Arko, Deputy Director, DOVVSU at CID Headquarters said the Unit existed to safeguard the dignity and human rights of children, adults at risk in Ghana through the prevention of domestic violence.

    She said they also engaged the public in sensitisation programmes, investigation, arrest and prosecuting the perpetrators of abuse within the domestic system.

    She said DOVVSU had established an effective database for crime, detection, prevention, and prosecution, adding that the Unit referred survivors, who required medical attention and specialized health to the health facilities, clinical psychologist, social workers, and counsellors.

    Chief Supt. Arko said, over the years, the Unit had investigated and prosecuted cases of abuse, adding that it had also taken part in awareness creation on human rights.

    She said statistics from the DOVVSU unit indicated that most of the Unit had women and children reporting their cases and explained that Children, who reported to the Unit either as contact or in conflicts with the law, needed to be handled with extreme care.

    “Information Children provide needs to be obtained with caution,” she said.

    “Section 3 and 33 of the Juvenile Justice Act 653/203 and the Children’s Act 560/1998, stipulates that law enforcement agencies are to obtain credible information from Children,” she added.

    Chie Supt. Arko said there was the need for DOVVSU to dedicate a safe and convenient place to Children for them to open during their narrations.

    She thanked UNICEF and Global Affairs Canada, for their support to Ghanaian women and Children.

    Madam Lucia Soleti, UNICEF Chief, Child Protection said in Ghana 34 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 years, who had ever been in a relationship experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimated partner while 94 per cent of children experiencing violent discipline.

    “Available data shows that less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort. Among those who do, most seek help from family and friends and only less than 10 per cent of those women seek help from the police,” she said.

    She said since the outbreak of COVID-19, reports of violence against women, and particularly domestic violence, had increased in several countries as security, health, and financial strains created tensions among relationships.

    Madam Soleti said the Police was the first point of contact for reporting any abuse but reporting and testifying about sexual and gender-based violence to the Police and subsequently in court could be daunting for Children and women.

    “Many survivors stop following up on their cases due to going through many processes at Police stations or the court during investigations and prosecution. They either decide to stop following up the cases at the police station level or the court level,” she said.

    Madam Soleti explained that improving the environment in which women and Children testify would help to improve the reporting and facilitate access to justice. “We must create conditions to support all children to realize this right without being additionally traumatized,” she added.

    The UNICEF Chief said the choice of Kasoa was strategic because it served a large constituency and received a lot of cases of survivors.

    Source: GNA 

  • Parliamentarians urged to desist from bailing perpetrators of defilement cases

    Queen-mothers of Ayawaso North Constituency have called on parliamentarians, assemblymen and community leaders to desist from acting as middlemen and bailing accused persons of defilement and rape cases for fear of losing votes.

    Hajia Rukaya Suleiman, the Kotokoli Queen-mother, said the act was putting their efforts in vain and the perpetrators made to escape the law at the mercy of the victims.

    The Queen-mother made the call during an educational campaign organised by Inerela Ghana, a nongovernmental organisation for the people of Maamobi a suburb of Accra.

    She said this was a criminal offence punishable by law but the constant bailing of the accused by powers-that-be did not serve as a deterrent to others, thereby, causing the number of rape and defilement cases to increase in the Constituency.

    Hajia Rukaya called for the collaboration between queen mothers, the Police, and non-governmental organizations to educate the youth in the area to help reduce such cases.

    Participants were educated on Sexual- based Violence Against Women & Girls (VAW/G), laws pertaining to domestic violence, child marriage and the need for counseling.

    Mrs Pauline L. Essel, Deputy Chief Investigator, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and License Counselor, educated the people on the various forms of abuse and the need to look out for the signs when the need be.

    She urged women not to allow themselves to be abused in any manner as it was not good for their health.

    Lawyer Cephas Essiful Ansah, CHRAJ Legal Officer and Board Member of Inerela Ghana taking participants through portions of the 1992 constitution, the Criminal Offences Act 1960, and the Children’s Act Domestic charged them to feel empowered by these laws and report any form of abuse meted out to them.

    Participants were also educated on the mandate of the Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU)to enable them to take advantage of it.

    Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ms Mavis Adjei, Nima Divisional Head of DOVVSU in a presentation said women and girls were the most affected by acts of domestic violence due to ill-treatment in marriages.

    She said domestic violence refers to physical, sexual and psychological acts which occur in families including; battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, marriage-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices that were harmful to women.

    ASP Adjei urged women to report any form of abuse to the DOVVSU to make the accused persons face the full rigour of the law.

    Mrs Mercy Acquah-Hayford, the Country Coordinator of Inerela Ghana, explained that the engagement followed a previous meeting with the community leadership to find a lasting solution to the high rate of domestic violence in the community.

    It was also to encourage and empower the women to report abuse cases to the Police.

    She said victims of abuse were discouraged and frightened from reporting cases of domestic and sexual violence to the Police due to reverence given to their men, somehow due to suppression.

    Inerela Ghana is a non-governmental organization that works with a network of religious leaders living with HIV that empowers themselves and others to live positively and openly as agents of hope and change in and beyond their faith communities.

    Source: GNA

  • Man severs ears of stubborn 10-year-old son; burns his fingers for stealing ¢250

    A 55-year old Osmanu Mumuni is in the firm grips of the law for severing the ears of his 10-year-old son and burning his fingers for stealing his money.

    The incident which occurred at Obom-Domeabra in the Greater Accra region is said to have been triggered when the father accused the young boy of stealing ¢250.

    According to the Weija Divisional DOVVSU of the Ghana Police Service, they received a distress call on Sunday, May 17, 2020, from the mother of the child that her ex-husband Osman Mumuni whom the boy stays with, had been physically abused for the said crime.

    The father of the boy is said to have cut off part of the right ear of the boy with a blade and later burnt his fingers in an open fire to get him to confess to the crime.

    The victim who had marks of assault all over his body was sent to the Amanfrom Poly Clinic near Kasoa where he was treated and discharged.

    The father of the boy who is in the firm grips of the police confessed to assaulting his son and described him as a stubborn and disobedient child.

    Source: abcnewsgh.com