A 33-year-old trader has appeared before an Accra circuit court charged with stealing a four-day-old baby from the Mamprobi Polyclinic. Latifa Salifu, a mother of two, is accused of posing as a nurse to abduct the infant on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Salifu, who pleaded not guilty to one count of child stealing, was remanded into custody by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) Court presided over by K. K. Obiri Yeboah. She is scheduled to reappear on March 4, 2026.
The court’s decision to deny bail followed a request by the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, who cited ongoing investigations and suspicions of a larger criminal network.
“There is no sense that the accused who has children who are boys will still go to the hospital to steal a boy,” Chief Inspector Aniagyei argued, opposing the defense’s bail application. “We want the accused remanded to help with investigations,” he added, suggesting the act may have been orchestrated by a syndicate.
Defense counsel Hamisu Muhammad had pleaded for bail, describing his client as a first-time offender who was not a flight risk and would not interfere with police work. However, the judge sided with the prosecution.
How the Incident Unfolded
Presenting the facts of the case, Chief Inspector Aniagyei told the court that the victim had given birth to the baby boy via caesarean section on February 14. Due to complications, the newborn was scheduled to be referred to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for specialist care.
While the mother was recovering in the ward on February 17, a woman dressed in a peach-colored scrub uniform, later identified as Salifu, approached her bed. She first inspected the baby before leaving, only to return around 4:00 p.m. under the pretense of administering medication.
Approximately ten minutes later, a nurse on duty inquired about the baby’s whereabouts. It was then that the mother realized the alleged thief had made off with her child. A search of the hospital premises proved futile, and a formal complaint was lodged with the Mamprobi Police.
Arrest at Korle Bu
The breakthrough came the following day, February 18, when a tip-off led police to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. A whistleblower alerted the Dansoman Police that a woman matching the suspect’s description had been spotted there with the infant.
“A patrol team from Dansoman moved in and arrested the suspect with the baby,” Chief Inspector Aniagyei stated. He added that in her caution statement to the police, Salifu admitted to the crime, confessing that she had deceived the mother by claiming she needed to administer medicine, and then fled with the child.
The safe recovery of the baby brings an end to the family’s 24-hour ordeal, as investigations into the incident continue.
