Labourer pleads not guilty to child abduction at Mallam Market

Dansoman Circuit Court

A 24-year-old labourer, Abdul Malik, has pleaded not guilty to child abduction charges. He is accused of unlawfully detaining five children at Mallam Market in Accra.

The case is being heard at the Dansoman Circuit Court. Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit presides over the proceedings.

Prosecutor Chief Inspector Emelia Mensah presented the charges against Malik. These charges fall under Section 91 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

According to the charge sheet, the incident happened on April 6, 2025. Malik allegedly detained five boys: Marvin Asani (9), Shadrach Atanga (7), Prince Nyaba (10), Cosmos Abalem (9), and Roger Amankwa (11). He prevented them from returning to their parents.

Court facts revealed that the children lived in Mallam Market. They were playing football when they met Malik. He lured them into his kiosk by claiming he needed help finding someone named Gaspar.

Inside, he played videos and told stories. The children were detained from 1:00 p.m. until around 8:00 p.m.

Parents searching for their children heard voices from Malik’s kiosk. They forced open the door and found all five boys inside with him.

When questioned, Malik claimed he was "teaching them vocabularies." He was arrested and taken to Mallam Lafa Police Station. There, he reportedly admitted to the offence in his caution statement.

Despite this admission, Malik pleaded not guilty in court. Her Honour ordered him to remain in police custody until further notice.

The case has been adjourned to April 28, 2025.