The recent case involving Latifah Salifu, the alleged baby thief, reminded me of my late senior cousin, Mr. Seth Ashong-Katai. He was the first grandchild of my maternal grandparents. In the late 1980s, he wrote and directed a film titled “The Baby’s Thief.” He was a gifted writer, poet, cultural advocate, and journalist. His work greatly influenced me. It is striking that what was once a film story has now become a serious moral and legal issue in real life.
I grew up in a family that treated names, identity, and responsibility as sacred. My father insisted that I should not carry a Christian name. He wanted me to bear only Nii Naate Atswele Agbo, the name of his grand-uncle, Tetteh Otu Atswele Agbo of Ardey Akwa We, Atukpai, and Asere. However, my beloved cousin strongly encouraged me to also use Nathaniel. In our tradition, a name is not just a label. It connects you to your family, your history, and your duties. So, taking a child away from the mother is not just a crime against one person. It breaks family bonds, harms the child, and disturbs social order.
Latifah Salifu already has two children from a previous marriage. This makes it difficult to say that the act was driven purely by desperation. It appears to be a serious moral failure. Targeting a young mother who had just gone through a Caesarean section, weak in body and vulnerable in emotion, is especially cruel. Taking advantage of someone in such a condition makes the wrongdoing even more serious. In any moral system, harming the weak increases guilt; it does not reduce it.
We may respect public officials, including the Gender Minister, but we must separate emotion from clear thinking. It is dangerous to explain baby theft mainly as a result of poverty or social pressure. Sociology can help us understand why people act in certain ways, but it does not remove personal responsibility. To explain is not to excuse. As the African proverb says, “The child who burns the house is still the owner’s child, but the house still burns.” Circumstances may explain behavior, but they do not cancel consequences.
Baby theft is not a small mistake. It is a serious violation of a mother’s rights, a child’s identity, and the peace of society. In the Bible, the story of Solomon in the Book of Kings shows how seriously disputes over children were treated. A child is not an object to satisfy adult desires or solve personal problems. A child has rights and deserves protection under both morality and the law.
Criminal law draws a clear line between difficult circumstances and personal responsibility. Its purpose is to prevent crime, punish wrongdoing, and protect society. When people try to soften or justify serious crimes, they weaken respect for the law. The pain of the mother is real and deep. The harm to the child, loss of identity and family connection, is also real.
We should show compassion to those facing hardship. But compassion must not become an excuse for crime. Social problems may influence behavior, but individuals still make choices. As Akan wisdom says, “The river may be crooked, but it still flows to the sea.” People are responsible for the direction they choose.
In the end, sociology may help us understand behavior, but the law must judge it. When it comes to a child, justice must be clear, firm, and fair. If justice fails, the moral strength of the whole community is weakened.
Osɔfo Nii Naate Atswele Agbo Nartey
