The 44-year-old man, Peter Aidoo, who attempted to sell his 10-year-old son for GH¢60,000 to the Ellembelle Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment by a Takoradi Circuit Court.
The convict, who is a labourer, was arrested about two weeks ago together with his accomplice and a cousin, Samuel Aidoo, who has also been handed eight-year jail term. The move was apparently for ritual purposes.
The convict was arrested together with his accomplice by the Ellembelle police in the Western Region after he had gone to a hotel in the area to sell his son to the NDC constituency chairman who feigned interest in the deal.
On August 17, 2018, the two were put before a Takoradi Circuit Court where the father and the accomplice were sentenced after they had pleaded guilty to the offence.
The Arrest
The NDC executive, Alex Mahama, who is also the assembly member for Awiebo Electoral Area in the Ellembelle constituency, told journalists that he overhead a ‘ghetto’ guy in the area telling a friend that he knew someone who wanted to sell his ‘stubborn’ son.
The chairman noted that he approached the guy and told him he was interested in the deal.
Mr Mahama added that the ‘ghetto’ guy called the father, Peter Aidoo, on phone to inform him and he subsequently spoke to Aidoo.
According to the Awiebo assembly member, after speaking with the father, he realized that Peter Aidoo hails from Agona Swedru in the Central Region but lives at Samenye in the Ellembelle District where he worked as a labourer.
Mr Mahama noted that he told Aidoo that he wanted to buy the son and that in the evening he should meet him at a hotel to transact the ‘business.’
He indicated that the ‘ghetto’ guy, who became the middleman, asked the friend on phone about the price.
He mentioned that Aidoo initially mentioned GH¢100,000 and after bargaining the suspect settled on GH¢60,000.
The NDC constituency chairman said he quickly informed the police at Anyinase who gave him an officer to help arrest the ‘wicked’ father.
According to him, on Saturday evening, he called the middleman to come along with the suspect to the hotel for the money.
The NDC executive said that since he was well known in the area, he asked a friend to meet the suspects.
He mentioned that after a brief meeting, the middleman and the father agreed to take GH¢60,000, adding that the suspects went home and brought the innocent child.
He indicated that the policeman, who was on the premises of the hotel, quickly rushed on them and arrested the suspects.
The middleman, who saw the police officer arriving in ‘plain cloth’, shouted ‘no it is Anas’ and jumped through a window but he was arrested.
According to the NDC constituency chairman, he later managed to get in touch with the wife of Peter Aidoo at Basake in the area who told him that the little boy was her step son.
The woman explained that the mother of the boy passed away and she decided to take care of him when she got married to Peter Aidoo.
She told Mr Mahama that on that fateful morning, she asked the boy to wash his clothes and then later the father came to inform them that he wanted to send him somewhere.
The Ellembelle NDC chairman alleged that there had been reported cases of some people in the area selling their children to other people for ritual purposes and called on all the indigenes to help stop the practice.
The victim is now being catered for by the NDC chairman who has enrolled him in a vacation class.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi