The DOVVSU Circuit Court has granted GH¢200,000 bail with conditions to 33-year-old trader, Latifa Salifu, who has been charged with child stealing.
The court admitted the accused to bail with two sureties, one of whom must justify with landed property valued at GH¢150,000. The sureties are required to deposit their Ghana Cards with the Court Registry, while the accused must surrender all her travel documents.
She is also to report to the case investigator every Monday and Thursday at 1:00 p.m. until otherwise directed by the court.
Latifa Salifu pleaded not guilty to one count of child stealing.
Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, presenting the amended charge sheet, told the court that investigations have been completed, replacing the earlier provisional charge.
The court subsequently struck out the old charge sheet and proceeded to take the plea of the accused on the amended charge.
Counsel for the accused, Dr Hamisu Muhammad, applied for bail, arguing that his client had cooperated with the Police since her arrest on February 17, 2026. He submitted that she is not a flight risk, has a fixed place of abode, and is engaged in lawful trade as a clothes dealer.
The prosecution did not oppose the application but urged the court to impose strict conditions to ensure the accused’s availability for trial, including justification with landed property.
Background
According to the prosecution, the complainant, Precious Ankomah, a 29-year-old trader, delivered a baby through a caesarean section at Mamprobi Polyclinic on February 14, 2026, and was admitted to the theatre recovery ward with her child.
Two days later, laboratory tests reportedly showed that the baby had jaundice and was to be referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
Although the complainant had been discharged, she remained at the hospital because she was unable to settle her medical bills and was moved to an upstairs recovery room.
Prosecution says that on February 17, at about 4:00 a.m., the accused, dressed in peach-coloured nurses’ scrubs, approached the complainant’s bed, looked at her and the baby, and left. At about 7:00 a.m. the same day, she allegedly returned and took the baby under the pretext of administering medication, but failed to return.
During the morning shift handover, nurses realised the baby was missing. A search was conducted within the hospital premises, but the accused was not found. A formal complaint was subsequently lodged with the Police.
The prosecution further told the court that the accused was later arrested after she allegedly contacted a whistleblower and claimed she had delivered at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but had been discharged due to a lack of beds. Police later re-arrested and detained her for investigations.
In her initial cautioned statement, the accused denied the offence but later admitted to it during further investigations, according to the prosecution.
The case has been adjourned to April 8, 2026, for further proceedings
source: citinewsroom.com
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