Miss Appiah, who is a sister to the victim’s mother and lives in the same compound, has since been arrested and detained by the Madina branch of DOVVSU for causing harm to the body of the victim.

Briefing Today about the ordeal of little Afua, Police Inspector, Georgina Alhassan Sabi, who is in charge of the Madina DOVVSU, disclosed that Gladys Appiah was arrested following a complaint lodged by the mother of the victim, Mrs Edna Nyarko, that the suspect had lit matches to burn the lips of her daughter.

6-year-old, Antoinette Afua

According to Inspector Sabi, the suspect accused little Afua  of stealing a co-tenant’s food, and  in an attempt to discipline her, punished her by burning her lips and her right hand with lit matches, a situation the police described as cruelty and violence against the right of the child.

“Ghana is a signatory to the UN convention on the rights of children so it is incumbent on every adult to respect and ensure that the rights of children in the country are protected against all forms of discrimination and acts of cruelty,” Inspector Sabi bluntly said.

He stressed that the suspect will be arraigned before court as soon as investigations are completed to deter others who take delight in violating the rights of children, stressing that the matter would not be treated lightly.

Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Paul Ayitey, has appealed to the general public particularly, health workers in the various health centres, to report any suspicious character that come to their end to seek medication from a gunshot wound.

He told Today that three suspected armed robbers last week went to Agbogba near Madina in Accra, to rob an American citizen who arrived in the country a fortnight ago and was lodging with a friend.

According to him, the armed robbers took away an amount of GH¢400, $300, ATM cards, a Sony video camera and two mobile phones all belonging to the American citizen.

He averred that in the midst of the operation one of the robbers mistakenly shot his partner, but managed to escape.

It was in this direction that he reiterated that medical centers should not hesitate to report doubtful people who come to seek medication from gunshots.

STORY: ANTHONY KWESI COOMSON