Police arrest two nannies for allegedly drugging toddlers to induce sleep

The Airport Divisional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) in Accra has arrested two nannies accused of administering sleep-inducing substances to a pair of two-year-old twin boys under their care.

At a press briefing, Superintendent Juliana Obeng, Head of the Public Affairs Unit, identified the suspects as Francisca Boakye, 30, a student nurse from Konongo in the Ashanti Region, and Harriet Ansah, 31, from Jasikan in the Oti Region.

The arrests followed a complaint lodged in September 2025 by the twins’ mother, a 40-year-old businesswoman, who reported that her children had been exhibiting unusual drowsiness and erratic behaviour over several weeks.

Subsequent inquiries revealed that the nannies had allegedly been mixing an unidentified sedative substance into the children’s milk to make them sleep for extended periods — without the mother’s knowledge or consent.

Further investigations showed that Harriet Ansah confessed to the act and implicated her colleague, Francisca Boakye, as the one who introduced her to the practice.

In a chilling admission, Ansah also revealed that she had subjected the twins to physical and emotional abuse, including burning their heads with fire and calling them derogatory names such as “chimpanzee.”

The suspects had been employed by the complainant for approximately eight months. A police search of their quarters uncovered two used sachets and four unused sachets containing unidentified substances suspected to have been used in the alleged offences. These items have been submitted for forensic analysis.

Both women have since been formally cautioned and charged, and are currently in police custody pending their next court appearance on October 20, 2025.

The Greater Accra Regional Police Command condemned the alleged conduct, describing it as “deplorable, inhumane, and unacceptable.”

The police have assured the public that further updates will be provided as investigations progress.