The convict had been hired by the girl’s parents to take her to and from school, police say.
A tricycle rider who was paid by a family in Wa to take their three-year-old daughter to and from school has been jailed for 14 years with hard labour for defiling the child.
The Wa High Court delivered the sentence on October 30, 2026. Justice Osei-Wusu found 29-year-old Naah Mashood guilty of defilement, according to reporting by Ghanaian Times.
What the police said happened
Police say the offence took place on February 23, 2026, at Tiegber in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region. The convict, who had been contracted by the girl's parents to handle her school runs, took her to an isolated spot and assaulted her inside his tricycle, the three-wheeled vehicle widely known in northern Ghana as a "Camboo".
The child's mother lodged a complaint, and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Upper West Regional Police Command arrested Mashood the next day, on February 24, 2026. DOVVSU is the specialised police unit that handles cases of abuse against women and children.
After investigations, he was first put before the Wa District Magistrate Court. The case was later tried at the Wa High Court, which has jurisdiction over serious offences of this kind.
Police response
The Upper West Regional Police Command praised the investigators and prosecutors who handled the case, as well as others who helped push it through to conviction.
The Command also used the outcome to appeal to parents and guardians to watch their children closely and take their safety seriously at all times. It asked members of the public to report suspected cases of child abuse or defilement to the nearest police station or DOVVSU office so that officers can act quickly.
Police added that they remain committed to protecting children and making sure people who commit sexual offences face the courts.
Why this matters
Under Ghanaian law, defilement covers sexual activity with a child below the age of 16, and consent is not a defence. Convictions carry long custodial sentences, as this 14-year term with hard labour shows.
The detail that stands out in this case is the position of trust. The man was not a stranger. He was someone the parents had paid to move their daughter safely between home and school, an arrangement that is common for working families in many Ghanaian towns where tricycles and taxis fill the gap left by limited school transport.
For Ghanaians abroad who often arrange childcare and school transport for relatives back home, the case is a reminder to check carefully who is entrusted with young children, and to keep direct lines of communication open with the children themselves.
Cases reported to DOVVSU can take months to reach judgment. In this matter, the arrest in February and the conviction in late October marked roughly eight months from complaint to sentence.
