A state employee serving as a zonal coordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has been sentenced to four months in prison for beating her 12-year-old stepdaughter, in a case that came to light through Ghana’s school reporting system.
The Techiman Circuit Court in the Bono East Region convicted Mariama Issah Sulemana, 41, after she pleaded guilty with explanation to charges of assault. The court rejected her claim that her stepdaughter’s behaviour had provoked the attack and found she showed no genuine remorse.
The victim, a Junior High School (JHS) One pupil at Nkwaeso Methodist School in Techiman, sustained injuries to her palm, face and body after being beaten with a car key over allegations of stealing money. The matter reached authorities after the Techiman Municipal Girls’ Education Officer, Mrs Ellen White Opoku, reported it to the Divisional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), prompting police action.
Sulemana was arrested on May 24, 2026, and initially granted police inquiry bail given that she had a young child. She was subsequently convicted after her explanation failed to satisfy the court.
Beyond the custodial sentence, the court issued orders covering the children in the household. The two stepchildren are to be transferred to the custody of their paternal family, while Sulemana’s five biological children, including a one-and-a-half-month-old infant, are to be referred to the Family Tribunal to determine their care arrangements during her imprisonment.
Guidance and counselling coordinator for the Techiman Municipal Education Directorate, Nana Asantewaa Munufie, called the ruling a clear signal to parents and guardians. “The ruling should serve as a warning to parents and guardians against child abuse,” she said.
