ACCRA, Oct 8 (The African Portal) – Police in Ghana have arrested two nannies accused of giving sleep-inducing substances to twin toddlers in their care, authorities said on Wednesday.
Superintendent Juliana Obeng, head of public affairs at the Airport Divisional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) in Accra, said the suspects — Francisca Boakye, 30, a student nurse from Konongo in the Ashanti region, and Harriet Ansah, 31, from Jasikan in the Oti region — were detained after the children’s mother filed a complaint in September.
The 40-year-old businesswoman told police she had noticed her two-year-old twin boys appeared unusually drowsy and their behaviour had changed over time.
“Investigations revealed that the suspects had allegedly been mixing an unidentified sleep-inducing substance into the children’s milk without the mother’s knowledge or consent,” Obeng said. “They claimed the substance made the children sleep for longer hours so they could attend to other chores.”
Police said Ansah admitted to the act and told investigators she had learned it from her colleague, Boakye. Ansah also allegedly confessed to other forms of abuse, including striking the children and calling them derogatory names such as “chimpanzee.”
The nannies had worked for the complainant for about eight months. Police said they found two used sachets and four unused sachets containing substances believed to have been used in the alleged offences, which have been sent for forensic testing.
Both suspects have been charged and remain in custody. They are due to appear in court on Oct. 20.
The Greater Accra Regional Police Command condemned the alleged abuse as “deplorable and unacceptable” and urged parents to monitor domestic staff closely.
Further updates will be provided as investigations continue, police said.
