Assin-Praso: Teenage father allegedly poisons 10-day-old son
The Police in Assin-Praso in the Assin North District of the Central Region, have intensified the search for a teen father for allegedly poisoning his ten-day-old baby boy with weedicide.
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As of Sunday, October 22, the baby was alive and responding to treatment at the Presbyterian Hospital at Assin-Praso.
According to the mother of the victim, Ms Esther Baah, 16, they both hatched the idea of killing the baby after all efforts to abort him were unsuccessful.
The move was to clear the baby, which had become a burden of a sort to them, to enable them to pursue their academic aspirations.
Not long after, Ms Baah delivered and gave up on what she considered as ‘devilish intention’ having considered the ordeal associated with pregnancy, delivery, and child upbringing.
However, the suspect, Godfred Nelson, also known as Paa Akwasi, 19, a Senior High School (SHS) three student, and a native of Assin Praso, unknowingly and still had plans to kill the baby with weedicide.
“We both planned to kill the baby to allow us to pursue our education.
“But the pain and trauma I endured during pregnancy and delivery made me change my mind, but little did I know that my boyfriend still haboured the intent to kill the innocent baby,” she said as she wept profusely.
Explaining issues to the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Kwaku Arkoh, the grandfather of the victim, said Ms Baah met her baby crying uncontrollably when she returned from the bathhouse.
She then decided to breastfeed him but observed a foamy substance in the mouth of the baby, and liquid stains in the child’s clothes amid vomiting. Realizing the baby’s struggles, he was rushed to hospital, where it was discovered the baby had been poisoned.
Nelson, on hearing the turn of events, bolted. Meanwhile, the mother of the suspect, Afia Tawiah, who had been irritated and disappointed by the action of her son had charged the police to arrest him to face the full rigors of the law.
“I cannot comprehend what will motivate Paa Akwasi to attempt killing his innocent baby. In any case, he is not directly responsible for the upkeep of the baby and his mother.
“I have taken all the responsibilities upon myself, so why should he think of killing the baby? He must be arrested as soon as possible to face the law because I don’t tolerate nonsense,” she said.