Kidnapper says Takoradi girls are alive – Gender Minster

General News on Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-01-29

There is hope for the families of the three girls kidnapped by Takoradi following the main suspect's allegations that they are still alive, according to Minister of Women Protection and Welfare Cynthia Morrison.

The failure of the police to trace three abducted girls in 2018 sparked a public outcry.

The three women, Ruth Quayson, Priscilla Blessing Bentum and Priscilla Koranchie were abducted in the Sekondi-Takoradi area of ​​the western region.

Ghanaian police have sought help from the United States and the United Kingdom to facilitate investigations.

The only suspect arrested, Samuel Udoetuk Wills, broke into a prison and escaped. He was then arrested again in Nkroful, near Takoradi. He is currently facing a lawsuit for cell escape, but has refused to give the police significant leads for the arrest of his accomplices.

Cynthia Morrison, Minister for the Status of Women, however, dispelled the fears of indignant people, saying that the kidnapper had broken his silence by baduring him that the girls had not been killed.

"We are progressing now. The alleged abductor was brought to Accra and he began to speak. He tells us that girls are still alive; it's hope we have now. He confirmed that all three girls are alive. What we are looking for though is the exact location where they are. So for now, it's where we are. "

Meeting with the Nigerian High Commissioner

The minister also revealed that she had had a fruitful meeting with Nigeria's high commissioner to badist the security services in the investigation process.

"The suspect being a Nigerian, I asked the High Commissioner to accompany me and she is willing to do so. He has given his support and has already delegated his people to go to Takoradi to meet the relevant authorities. We discussed how we can talk to the suspect in his or her mother tongue. This may make him more open to the High Commissioner than he will to any of us. "

The police to blame?

Cynthia Morrison unburdened the police of all blame during the recent kidnapping, claiming that she had no control to prevent the threat from occurring.

She advised the public to pay attention to security because of its vulnerability.

"To prevent further kidnappings, we must be very careful. Even if we give a policeman to each house, it will be impossible. No matter who can be kidnapped at any time, depending on the location and situations. So the police can not stop that. We can not blame the police because she can not control us at the same time, it's not possible, "she said.

Kidnappings in the western region have sparked support for traumatized families and a campaign on Ghana's social networks has urged the police to be more aggressive in finding missing girls.

Already, a team of investigators from the United Kingdom and the United States of America has arrived in the country to help the Ghana police search for kidnapped girls in Takoradi.

Their arrival follows a petition to both countries to help Ghana locate missing girls between August 2018 and January 2019.

IDC chief, DCOP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, as well as senior officers from the West Regional Police Command visited the families of the three abducted girls in separate meetings in Takoradi.

She said the investigation team had been beefed up and had badured families to step up their efforts to save girls.