A Techiman Circuit Court has sentenced a 41-year-old National Disaster Management Organisation officer to four months in prison for abusing and causing harm to her 12-year-old stepdaughter.
Mariama Issah Sulemana, who works as a zonal coordinator for NADMO and is also a caterer, was convicted after pleading guilty with explanation to the charge.
The victim, a first-year student of Nkwaeso Methodist Junior High School in Techiman, suffered injuries to her palm, face and other parts of her body after being attacked with a car key.
Police prosecutor Inspector Ofori Yeboah told the court that the case came to light after the Techiman Municipal Girls Education Officer, Ellen White Opoku, received information about the girl’s ordeal and reported the matter to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit.
The court heard that Sulemana inflicted the injuries because she believed the girl had been stealing money from her.
She was arrested on 24th May and later granted police inquiry bail because she was caring for a baby.
Following investigations, she was brought before the Techiman Circuit Court, where she admitted the offence but explained that she had become frustrated by the girl’s alleged behaviour and by challenges in her personal life, including the prolonged absence of her husband, who she said had travelled abroad.
The presiding judge rejected the explanation and convicted her. She was initially remanded into police custody and ordered to reappear for sentencing.
Delivering his ruling on Monday, the judge said the custodial sentence was intended to serve as a deterrent to others. He added that he was not convinced the offender had shown remorse for her actions.
The court further ordered that the two stepchildren in Sulemana’s care be placed with members of their father’s family. The remaining children under her care have been referred to the Family Tribunal to determine appropriate arrangements during her imprisonment.
Speaking after the ruling, Techiman Municipal Guidance and Counselling Coordinator Nana Asantewaa Munufie welcomed the court’s decision and urged parents and guardians to refrain from abusing children.
She said the Ghana Education Service, together with traditional authorities, would continue to ensure that anyone found guilty of maltreating children faces the full force of the law.
Munufie also described the court’s directives concerning the welfare of the victim and the other children affected by the case as appropriate and necessary.
