Guardian Faces Charges After Seven-Year-Old Suffers Burns

A 24-year-old trader, Ayishatu Zakari, has been granted bail by the Gender-Based Violence Court after being accused of causing harm to a seven-year-old girl at Maamobi in Accra.

Zakari is alleged to have heated a stone in a fire and deliberately placed it between the minor’s thighs, accusing her of bedwetting. She pleaded not guilty to the charge before the court presided over by Judge Kwabena Kodua Obiri Yeboah.

The court admitted Zakari to bail in the sum of GH₵30,000 with two sureties, directing her to reappear for further proceedings on January 6, 2026.

Judge Obiri Yeboah also ordered that the victim be taken into Police custody and subsequently handed over to her biological mother. This directive followed information presented to the court indicating the child’s father is currently incapacitated by a stroke.

According to reports, the victim has already undergone two surgical procedures as a result of the injuries sustained. The incident reportedly occurred on October 23, 2025.

Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, leading the prosecution, informed the court that Zakari resided with the complainant – whose name was withheld – at Maamobi. The victim, a pupil, had been living with Zakari since 2023, after the death of her aunt.

The prosecution stated that Zakari frequently accused the child of bed-wetting. On the day of the incident, she allegedly heated the stone, scooped it with a spoon, and inflicted burns on the minor. She then bathed the victim and sent her to school.

During school break time, while playing with a friend, the friend inadvertently sat on the victim’s lap, causing the victim distress and prompting a fall. This revealed the burns, leading the friend to report the incident to their teacher and subsequently the headteacher.

The headteacher attempted to convene a meeting with Zakari, but she did not attend. The friend’s father then filed a report with the Nima Police, who issued a medical form for the child’s examination. Zakari was subsequently arrested and, in her cautioned statement, admitted to the act.

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