Boy, 3, found dead in sewer near Amasaman

A three-year-old boy has been found dead in a sewer at Abehenease, a suburb of Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region.

The deceased, identified as Desmond Mawuko Drayi, was found dead in an open manhole behind his parents’ house.

When Mawuko failed to return home late into the evening, his mother mounted a search for him, leading to his discovery in the sewer.

Confirmation

Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs

Effia Tenge, said about 6:30 p.m. last Sunday, Mawuko’s mother, who is the Assembly Member for the Fise Electoral Area, near Amasaman, reported to the police the discovery of her son’s body in the manhole.

She said when the police visited the scene, they saw that the body had been retrieved from the manhole and covered with a piece of cloth.

After physical examination of the body, the police did not find any mark on the boy, she said.

The body had since been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue, while investigations had commenced into the matter, she added.

Caution

Mrs Tenge expressed concern over the rising incidence of children drowning in pits in recent times and cautioned parents and guardians to take particular interest in the development of their children and wards, adding that it was their responsibility to safeguard the children and wards by protecting them from harm.

“Once you assume a parental status, recognise that it comes with responsibilities, and one of which is ensuring the safety of your children. Parents must not shirk their responsibilities to others,” she added.

She further said at a time when children were home because of the closure of schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents must pay more attention to their children to protect them from harm’s way.

“People should make sure they cover sewages and not leave them open, otherwise the police will arrest and hold them responsible for exposing children to harm.

Children are vulnerable and parents must not fail in their responsibility of taking care of them. If a parent is busy and occupied with other things, he or she must get a caretaker, rather than leave the kids to loiter,” Mrs Tenge said.