General News of Monday, 26 June 2006

Source: GNA

Baby retrieved from pit latrine

Asamankese, June 26, GNA - A 20-year-old unemployed woman who allegedly dumped her two-month-old baby boy into a pit latrine was on Friday granted a 50-million-cedi bail with one surety by the Asamankese Circuit Court.

Nafisa Issaka, who pleaded guilty to a charge of exposing a child to harm, would re-appear on July 26.

Police Chief Inspector Joseph Idan told the Court presided over by Mr Kofi Akrowiah that Nafisa, who lived with her parents at Ekoso village near Asamankese, gave birth to a baby boy about two months ago. He said the husband of the accused died some few months before she delivered and Nafisa, was catered for by her parents. On June 3, while Nafisa's mother had travelled to Accra, the accused took the baby to a public place of convenience, dumped him into the pit and went into hiding.

Inspector Idan said some residents of the town heard the baby crying in the pit and mobilised some people to retrieve the child and sent him to the Bawjiase Orphanage.

He said because of the baby's condition, officials of the orphanage sent him to a clinic at Bawjiase, which also referred him to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for medical attention.