An Accra Circuit Court has cautioned the prosecution in the alleged Mamprobi Hospital baby theft case that it will strike out the matter if required disclosures are not filed without further delay.
The court, sitting at the Police Headquarters, issued the warning after Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei informed the bench that efforts to file witness statements had stalled due to delays in obtaining signatures from key witnesses.
According to the prosecution, statements have been prepared for the complainant and her husband but remain unsigned. Statements from doctors, nurses and security personnel expected to testify have also not been endorsed.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) reports that a lawyer said to be representing the hospital requested a conference with the medical staff and security officers before they appended their signatures to the statements. As a result, the prosecution has been unable to complete and file its disclosures for the past two months.
The court indicated that failure to submit the disclosures could lead to the case being struck out and adjourned proceedings to June 11, 2026.
The case drew widespread public attention in February when a four-day-old baby was allegedly stolen from Mamprobi Hospital. The accused, Latifa Salifu, a 33-year-old trader, has been charged with child stealing. She has pleaded not guilty and is currently on bail in the sum of GH¢200,000.
The complainant, Precious Ankomah, a 29-year-old trader from James Town, delivered a baby boy via caesarean section at Mamprobi Hospital on February 16, 2026. The prosecution said medical tests later revealed that the newborn had jaundice, prompting arrangements to transfer both mother and child to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
Although the complainant was discharged the same day because she could not settle her medical bills, she remained at the hospital with her baby.
Prosecutors allege that at about 4:00 a.m. on February 17, the accused, dressed in peach-coloured nurse scrubs, approached the complainant, looked at the baby and left. Around 7:00 a.m., she allegedly returned and took the infant under the pretext of administering medication before disappearing.
When nurses reported for duty later that morning, they discovered the baby was missing. The complainant reportedly told them that a woman she believed to be a nurse had taken the child for treatment. An internal search proved unsuccessful, leading to a report being lodged with the Mamprobi Police by nurse Abigail Gudjinu.
On February 18, while investigations were ongoing, police received information from a whistle-blower that the accused had claimed she had delivered a baby at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and had been discharged the same day. Subsequent investigations led to her arrest, during which she allegedly admitted to the offence.