Shirley Nyarko and Joyce Johnson
The Weija District Police Command has apprehended a cleaner of the Ga South Municipal Hospital for attempting to sell a four-day-old baby boy to a Nigerian at a cost of GH¢2,000.
The suspect Shirley Nyarko, who has been working at the health facility, popularly known as Akawe for the past three years, was arrested when she handed over the baby to Joyce Johnson, who was waiting in a taxi outside the hospital at about 10am on July 23, 2018.
The two women are currently in the custody of the Weija District Police assisting in police investigations.
Briefing the media, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Efia Tenge, said the 16-year-old girl delivered at the Ga South Municipal Hospital where Nyarko works.
Nyarko told the girl that she could get one of the women who have had several miscarriages to buy the baby at a cost of GH¢2,000.
Nyarko subsequently arranged with Ms Johnson to buy the baby without consent of the mother of the child.
According to reports, the girl, who was dissatisfied with the whole transaction, discussed the issue with another person who also hinted the police.
Personnel were dispatched to the hospital around 10am on that fateful day to arrest the culprits.
Nyarko collected the baby from the mother and gave it to Ms Johnson, who paid GH¢2,000 to her.
The baby has since been handed over to the mother.
Information gathered by the paper indicated that the mother of the baby was raped.
When the girl told the cleaner about her ordeal, Nyarko informed her about the nefarious plans.
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey