Court remands pastor, mother and another over alleged attempt to bury baby alive

Three people, including a pastor and the mother of a five-month-old baby, have been remanded by the Bibiani District Court over an alleged attempt to bury the child alive at a refuse dump near Abofrem in the Western North Region.

The accused are Richmond Frimpong, also known as Prophet, Beatrice Agyapongmaa, the child’s mother, and Emmanuel Appiah. A fourth suspect, Donkor, is said to be on the run.

Frimpong and Agyapongmaa are facing charges of conspiracy to commit attempted murder, while Frimpong alone also faces a separate count of attempted murder. Appiah and the fugitive suspect have been accused of abetment of attempted murder.

When the matter came before the court presided over by Lord Delvin Essandoh, no pleas were taken. A bail request made on behalf of the accused was refused, and the case was adjourned to 5 May 2026.

The court also turned its attention to the welfare of the baby, who is currently in the care of the mother’s grandmother. The prosecution said the child remained vulnerable and urged the court to consider placement in a care home.

In response, the judge directed the Social Welfare Office to carry out a social enquiry and submit a report within five days.

According to the prosecution, the case came to light on the night of 10 April, when a security guard and local unit committee member, Winfred Agbah, received information that some people were attempting to secretly bury a child at a refuse dump.

He went to the scene and, according to the prosecution, found Frimpong, Appiah and Donkor preparing to bury the baby, who had been wrapped in cloth and was being held by Appiah.

When he challenged them, they allegedly claimed the child was dead. But after examining the baby, the complainant realised the infant was still alive.

The prosecution said Frimpong then allegedly tried to convince him to let them proceed, but he refused and instead took the suspects before the chief of Abofrem.

Investigations later revealed that the child had reportedly suffered a neck condition since birth. In search of help, the mother was allegedly directed to Frimpong for spiritual intervention.

Police say the pastor told her the child had been identified spiritually as “Nsuoba” and demanded ritual items, including eggs, schnapps, powder, incense, a fowl and a cannonball stone.

After the rituals, Frimpong allegedly assured the mother that the baby would soon die and asked her to return to Kumasi.

The prosecution says she later came back on 9 April to report that the child was still alive, after which the accused allegedly agreed that euthanasia was the solution.

Frimpong is said to have asked her to leave the baby with him so he could complete the process. He later allegedly declared the child dead, with Appiah said to have helped confirm that claim.

Prosecutors say the three men then took the baby to the dump, where Donkor dug a grave and the burial attempt was interrupted only when the complainant intervened and rescued the child.

The matter was subsequently reported to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit in Bibiani, leading to the arrests.

Police say the accused admitted the offence in their caution statements, and a duplicate docket is being prepared for the Attorney-General’s Department for advice.