The Upper West Regional police command has arrested a 38-year-old woman, Abena Martha Maanibeh for stealing a one week old baby from the Upper West Regional hospital, here in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
In a press statement signed by the Upper West Regional police commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Darko Offei Lomotey, on the 1st of August, 2025, complainant, Kwofie Mwinbelle gave birth to a baby boy at the Upper West Regional hospital, Wa where the suspect, Maanibeh, was also present under the guise of taking care of another patient.
According to the statement, the suspect on the 10th of August, 2025 allegedly deceived the unsuspecting newly delivered mother, Mwinbelle, to buy baby diapers from the Wa market popularly known as “Kejetia” where she is said to have taken advantage of the situation to steal the baby along with a mobile phone, an unspecified amount of money and other valuables.
A “coordinated investigative action” by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVSU) of the Upper West Regional police command led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stella Atukwia apprehended and arrested the suspect at her hideout in Nuobollie, a community in the Savannah Region of Ghana, on the 15th of August, 2025 where she was brought before a Wa District Magistrate Court and would reappear before it on the 2nd of September, 2025 after being remanded to police custody.
The baby has since been reunited with its mother along with some of the alleged stolen items whilst investigation is ongoing.
”The Upper West Regional Police Command wishes to reassure the public of its unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the Region” part of the statement read.
The command has extended its”heartfelt gratitude” to the public for being vigilant, contributing to the arrest of the suspect.
