An eight-month-old baby who disappeared from a busy market in the Volta Region has been safely reunited with his mother after a swift police operation led to the arrest and conviction of the woman accused of abducting him.
The Volta North Regional Police Command says 31-year-old Stella Amedzorme has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to abducting the infant from Kpando Market.
The incident occurred on July 17, 2026, when the child’s mother, 21-year-old Gloria Xagbe, briefly left her baby in the care of Amedzorme, a fellow market trader, while she went to buy packaging bags.
But when Gloria returned moments later, both the woman she had trusted and her baby had vanished.
What began as a routine trip to the market quickly turned into every mother’s worst nightmare.
Police immediately launched an intensive search, acting on intelligence gathered after the abduction.
Less than 24 hours later, officers tracked the suspect to Toviate, a suburb of Kwamekrom in the Oti Region, where they arrested Amedzorme and rescued the baby unharmed.
During investigations, the suspect admitted taking the child, telling investigators she acted on the instructions of her fiancé, who remains on the run.
Police say efforts are ongoing to arrest him and establish the full circumstances surrounding the abduction.
Amedzorme was first arraigned before the Kpando Circuit Court on July 20, 2026, where she was remanded into police custody.
When she reappeared before the court on August 3, 2026, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
The successful rescue has been welcomed as a major breakthrough by the Volta North Regional Police Command, which says protecting children remains one of its highest priorities.
Police have also urged parents and guardians to exercise caution when leaving children in the care of others, even those they know, warning that child abduction remains a serious threat.
Investigations are continuing as officers work to apprehend the suspect’s fiancé, who is believed to have played a role in planning the crime.
By Peter Quao Adattor/paqmediagh
