The Airport Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service has arrested two nannies accused of administering sleep-inducing medication and physically abusing two-year-old twin boys in their care at East Legon in Accra.
The suspects — Francisca Boakye, 30, a student nurse from Konongo in the Ashanti Region, and Harriet Ansah, 31, from Jasikan in the Volta Region — were arrested after their employer, a 41-year-old businesswoman, reported strange behavioural changes in her children in September 2025.
According to police reports, the mother observed that her twins often appeared excessively drowsy and weak. Concerned, she investigated further and discovered that the nannies had allegedly been drugging the children with a substance suspected to be Dynewell, a sedative syrup, to keep them asleep for long periods.
Addressing journalists in Accra, Superintendent Juliana Obeng, Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Accra Regional Police Command, confirmed the arrests and described the act as both “inhumane and criminal.”
“She observed unusual drowsiness and behavioural changes in her two children,” Supt. Obeng said.
“Subsequent inquiries revealed that the nannies had been administering a medication suspected to be ‘Dynewell’ to the children without her consent, allegedly making them sleep for extended hours so they could attend to other house chores,” she disclosed.
Police investigations further revealed that the suspects, who had worked for the complainant for about eight months, also subjected the toddlers to physical and emotional abuse.
Harriet Ansah reportedly confessed to burning the children’s hands with fire and verbally insulting them with names such as “chimpanzee.”
A search conducted in the suspects’ shared accommodation led to the discovery of two used and four unused sachet packs of the suspected sedative substance.
Both women have been cautioned, charged, and remanded by the court to reappear on October 20, 2025.
Superintendent Obeng urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant about the behaviour of domestic staff, emphasizing that the Ghana Police Service “remains committed to protecting children from all forms of abuse and will ensure justice for the victims.”
