The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested seven suspects in connection with separate child trafficking and child sexual exploitation cases, while efforts continue to trace a missing five-year-old girl believed to have been trafficked through a criminal syndicate operating across parts of the country.

Among those arrested is a midwife at a private hospital in Osu, who is suspected of playing a role in the illegal transfer of children within the trafficking network.

The Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, made this known at a press conference at the CID Headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

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She said three Ghanaians were also arrested in a child sexual exploitation case linked to an international investigation involving the Australian Federal Police and Interpol.

She explained that intelligence shared by Interpol Canberra and the Interpol Crimes Against Children Unit in 2025 led to investigations in Ghana after it was discovered that victims in the country were being exploited and their images transmitted abroad in exchange for money.

Joint operations by Interpol Accra and the Child Digital Forensics and Cybercrime Unit led to arrests in the Ashanti and Bono regions, where four children aged between six and 13 were rescued.

COP Donkor revealed that two of the suspects are close relatives of the victims, including a mother and an older brother.

In a separate case, the CID confirmed the arrest of a midwife, Lucinda Naomi Otchere, in connection with the disappearance of a seven-year-old girl, Khadija Karim, who was reported missing in April 2026 in Kasoa.

Investigations indicate that the child was allegedly lured under false pretences and moved between suspects before being rescued. However, a five-year-old girl linked to the same syndicate remains missing.

Police further alleged that the midwife received the child after paying GH¢20,000 and later facilitated a further transaction involving GH¢35,000 for another child.

The Ghana Police Service has confirmed that an additional suspect has been arrested in connection with an ongoing child trafficking investigation that has already led to the rescue of two child victims.

“The latest suspect, identified as Lucinda Naomi Otchere, a midwife in charge of the maternity and labour ward at Trust Mother and Child Hospital in Osu, has been arrested for her involvement in the trafficking network,” she said.

The infant involved in the case has since been recovered and reunited with her parents, while several suspects remain in custody assisting investigations.

COP Donkor urged members of the public with information on the missing child to assist the police, stressing that the service is working with international partners to dismantle trafficking networks operating in the country.

“The Ghana Police Service is appealing to anyone with information to report to the nearest police station or use emergency numbers 191 and 112,” she added.

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