Maamobi trader charged after seven-year-old badly burned with hot stone

A 24-year-old trader accused of burning a seven-year-old girl with a heated stone over bedwetting has been granted bail by the Gender-Based Violence Court in Accra.

Ayishatu Zakari is alleged to have heated a stone in fire at Maamobi, lifted it with a spoon and pressed it between the child’s thighs, leaving her with severe burns. She has been charged with causing harm and has pleaded not guilty.

Sitting over the case, Judge Kwabena Kodua Obiri Yeboah admitted Zakari to bail in the sum of GH¢30,000 with two sureties and ordered her to reappear in court on 6 January 2026.

The court also directed police to take custody of the girl and hand her over to her biological mother, after being informed that the child’s father has suffered a stroke and is unable to care for her. The victim is reported to have undergone two surgeries as a result of the injuries.

Prosecutor Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei told the court that the victim, a pupil, moved in with Zakari at Maamobi in 2023 after the death of her aunt, who had previously been her carer.

Since then, the court heard, Zakari had often accused the girl of bedwetting. On 23 October 2025, she allegedly heated a stone, placed it between the child’s thighs, bathed her and sent her to school.

During break time, as the victim played with a friend, the friend sat on her lap. The girl screamed in pain and fell, prompting the friend to notice burn marks and alert a teacher. The matter was escalated to the headteacher, who invited Zakari to the school, but she failed to attend.

The friend’s father later reported the incident to the Nima Police, who issued a medical form for the girl. Zakari was subsequently arrested and, according to the prosecution, admitted the act in her cautioned statement.