Woman nearly lynched for allegedly kidnapping baby girl in Mankessim

A woman identified as Emafya narrowly escaped lynching in Mankessim, located in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region, after being accused of attempting to kidnap a one-and-a-half-year-old baby girl.

According to Madam Azuma Alhassan, the child's grandmother, the incident occurred when the baby was left in the care of her younger brother, Kojo Junior, who was playing nearby. Junior reportedly left the child with Emafya while he went to retrieve a ball. Upon his return, both Emafya and the baby were nowhere to be found.

A search party was organized, and a good Samaritan eventually spotted Emafya carrying the baby toward the Takoradi station. Eyewitness Maame Ama, who was selling goods nearby, initially saw Emafya with the child but did not suspect any wrongdoing until the search intensified and Emafya was found attempting to leave the area with the baby.

"I saw her carrying the baby, but because I know her around the house, I didn't think of anything bad. When we couldn't find them during the search, I realized she was running away with the child and chased her to the Takoradi station," Maame Ama recounted.

In her defence, Emafya told Kasapa FM's Yaw Boagyan that she did not intend to steal the child. She claimed she found the baby behind a building, felt sorry for her, and decided to buy her a drink and food.

"I didn't steal the child. I saw her at the back of the building, felt pity, and bought her a Kalypo. I was just trying to buy her food when her family and others accused me of theft. I also have children—why would I steal someone else's child for rituals?" Emafya explained.