Nursing mother arrested for allegedly inflicting blade wounds on 5-year-old in Bole

Marijana Alhassan, a 35-year-old nursing mother and seamstress, was arrested for allegedly inflicting blade wounds and applying pepper on a 5-year-old girl in her care on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Bole Mempeasem, a suburb of Bole in the Savannah Region. The Assembly Member for Mempeasem Electoral Area, Hassan Abu Peace Brother, discovered the injured child behind his house at around 7:00pm. The Assemblyman said he went around trying to locate the child's parents, as the young girl could only refer to her mother as "mama."

The Assemblyman said he received a call that "she beat the child and even inflicted blade wounds on her before sending her to school." School officials invited the suspect to the premises, and she was arrested by police upon her arrival. Marijana Alhassan denied inflicting blade wounds on the child, saying the victim is her husband's sister's child. She described the child as highly dependent. She admitted pushing the child away in frustration, claiming the girl fell onto a mopping stick and sustained the injuries.

Marijana Alhassan remains in custody at the Bole District Police Station and is scheduled to appear before the Bole District Magistrate Court on Tuesday. The child is receiving medical care at the Bole District Government Hospital. Social welfare authorities are following up on the welfare of the child.