The 30-year-old woman arrested by the Police at Nkurakan in the Eastern Region for defecating at a Police Station has been cautioned to be of good behaviour.
The suspect, Sheila Kwaow who was being prepared for prosecution consistently showed remorse with incessant pleas for forgiveness. She has, thus, been bonded by the New Juaben South Municipal Police Commander Chief Superintendent Nicholas Opare Ofosuhene to refrain from the practice open defecation.
Sheila has since gone into hiding after the naming and shaming.
Sheila Kwaow, popularly known as ‘Mother’, was arrested on the dawn of Friday, September 6, 2019, after a police officer laid surveillance.
The 30-year-old hairdresser notorious for the practice has turned the compound of the Police station into a place of convenience. She usually defecates into a polythene bag, wraps it and deposits on the compound of the station or does the act in the open at dawn.
The suspect stays in a house without a toilet facility adjacent to the Police Station. She was highly suspected by the law enforcers and had previously rained insults on them when she was once confronted.
According to the local Police, they were sweeping human excreta almost every day, therefore, believe the arrest of ‘Mother’ would serve as a deterrent to others.
It is estimated that close to 19% of Ghana’s total population practice open defecation daily translating into one out of every five people practising it.
Ghana reportedly loses an average of $79 million annually to open defecation and is classified among 34 countries with the highest open defecation rates of 15% and above.