In a deeply disturbing case that has shocked residents of East Legon and reignited conversations about child safety and domestic worker oversight, two nannies have been arrested for allegedly administering sleep-inducing drugs and physically abusing their employer’s twin toddlers.

The two-year-old boys, according to police, were subjected to months of mistreatment at the hands of their caretakers.

The suspects, Francisca Boakye, a 30-year-old student nurse from Konongo in the Ashanti Region, and Harriet Ansah, aged 31 from Jasikan in the Oti Region, were arrested by the Airport Divisional Police Command after their employer lodged a complaint in late September 2025.

The complaint followed weeks of unexplained drowsiness, fatigue, and changes in behavior noticed in her children.

According to Superintendent Juliana Obeng, Director of Public Affairs for the Accra Regional Police Command, the mother — a 41-year-old businesswoman — became suspicious after observing that her twin sons appeared unusually sleepy and lethargic during the day, even after sleeping through the night.

Her concerns deepened when she noticed burn marks on their hands.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the two nannies had been administering a medication suspected to be Dynewell to the boys without their mother’s consent. They allegedly did this to keep the children asleep for extended periods so they could attend to other household chores,” Supt. Obeng stated during a media briefing.

A police search of the suspects’ room uncovered two used and four unused trays of the substance, packaged in sachets, believed to be the drug administered to the children.

Laboratory tests are being conducted to confirm the contents of the recovered items.

Police further disclosed that the suspects admitted not only to drugging the children but also to subjecting them to various forms of abuse, including burning their hands with fire and calling them demeaning names such as “chimpanzees.”

The abuse reportedly continued undetected for close to eight months, during which the suspects had gained the trust of their employer.

Both suspects have been cautioned and charged with child abuse, causing harm, and administering harmful substances.

They have been remanded into police custody and are scheduled to reappear before the court on October 20, 2025.