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The law must ruthlessly deal with baby stealing syndicates – Suweiba
A 44-year-old woman whose baby went missing at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) on February 5, 2014, wants the law to deal severely with baby-stealing syndicates arrested in Accra.
Suweiba Abdul-Mumin says criminals deserve to be punished proportionately by state institutions and, therefore, appeal to authorities not to allow those arrested to walk free as it happened in her case in 2014.
She expressed her disappointment with people whose business is to steal babies for reasons best known to themselves.
Mrs Abdul-Mumin believes if the law deals with them squarely, it will deter others.
She went to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to deliver but lost the baby under bizarre circumstances.
Some angry Zongo youth stormed the hospital, demanding the remains of the baby for burial as the Islamic tradition demands.
Mrs Abdul-Mumin insisted that the baby was alive when the midwives placed it on her.
But hospital authorities were unable to produce the baby, dead or alive.
In events which unfolded later, the bodies of four other babies allegedly stillborn could not be found, leading to public outcry and interesting conspiracy theories, prompting police investigations.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) also constituted a body to look into the matter in order to ascertain the truth.
On January 20, 2021, an alleged baby trafficking syndicate arrested by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Medical and Dental Council stirred national discussion about how innocent mothers mysteriously lose babies at health facilities.
Mrs Abdul-Mumin who suffered the pain of alleged baby theft and still can’t get over it and wants an end to the act.
She said if things are allowed to sleep, criminals would take clemency of institutions to commit more serious crimes.
According to her, the family couldn’t afford to sue KATH at the time because of financial constraints.
According to the Executive Director of EOCO, Frank Adu Poku, the buying and selling of babies has been on the radar of the crime office which has resulted in the arrested of at least 10 suspects.
The suspects are said to be doctors, nurses, social welfare workers, traditional birth attendants and mothers who operated in various hospitals in the Greater Accra Region.
The Medical and Dental Council and EOCO say they have been investigating the activities of some medical practitioners and other individuals who were suspected to be engaging in the illegal act of baby harvesting and human trafficking.
Two doctors, four nurses, two social welfare workers, a traditional birth attendant and two mothers have been arrested.
Suweiba Abdul-Mumin, however, believes her child is still alive. She wants anyone with the child to reconnect them.
She is consoled by the birth of a four year old baby girl.
“Wherever my son is, I pray for him and I know God doesn’t ignore the prayer of parents,” she said.
Source:Fiilafmonline/JoyNews