Stop the deceit – Families of kidnapped Takoradi girls descend on Police Service
The families of Priscilla Bentum, Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie and Ruth Love Quayson, three girls who were kidnapped in Takoradi almost a year ago have lashed out at the Police Service over their inconsistent communication regarding the whereabouts of the girls, ABC News can report.
The families also accuse the Police of deliberately feeding the media with inaccurate information.
At a press briefing organised in Accra Monday morning, the families cited communications by the head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah and the Minister of State in-charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong, where they gave the impression that the girls’ location was known and that a rescue mission was underway to free the ladies only for the said individuals to backtrack on their clains.
The three girls were kidnapped between August 2018 and December 2018 and despite the numerous assurances by government and the Ghana Police Service, the families suggest the actual location of the girls remains unknown.
The families at the press briefing demanded that “Ghana Police Service and Government officials should stop raising our hopes and later come to dash them as have been the case all these while. They should also stop the false reportage to you the media about the case.”
In their view, government’s lack of commitment in dealing with their issue is evident in their approach to rescue, within weeks, the 2 Canadian girls who were kidnapped in Kumasi last month.
They also questioned the urgency of the Ghana Police Service to get to the bottom of the matter and trace the kidnappers following their inability to retrieve information from the suspects in their custody months after their arrest.
“The families of the Kidnapped victims and thousands of concerned Ghanaians are totally dismayed at the turn of events especially the silent posture being portrayed by the government on this crucial subject”
“What is most shocking is how the Ghana police service/National Security Operatives were able to gather all arsenal to rescue the two missing Canadian nationals with the speed of light three weeks after they were reported missing. So we ask, why Can’t the same security agencies in the country use that “Usain bolt” speed to bring back our girls?”
“The first suspect Samuel Willis stated earlier in his statement that, the second suspect John Oji knows the whereabouts of our girls and that should he (Oji) be found, he could show where the girls are” they lamented.
In addition to the demand by the family that the government and Police should stop dashing their hopes and feeding the media with false reportage, the families also mentioned to the government and the security agencies that “We want the Authorities to investigate who aided Samuel Wills the first suspect to escape from the Takoradi Central Police Station as he stated he was aided by a police officer. Two police officers have since been transferred from the division”
“Stop the kangaroo court hearing that the state is running thereby keeping the aggrieved families in the dark” they insisted.
The families bemoan the impact of the restlessness and apprehension caused by the delay in bringing back their kidnapped children has had on their health.
They accuse the Police of keeping them in the dark as to what the updates are, making them very apprehensive since the assurances of the Police have not yielded any positive result so far.
To this end, they have made a passionate appeal to former Heads of State, the Christian Council and other bodies to intervene on their behalf and get the government to act proactively to rescue the kidnapped girls.
“The families of the three missing girls are so desperate for news about their daughters and their whereabouts. This is giving us sleepless nights with its attendants health implications.”
“Matters relating to the rescue of these 3 girls have sparked so much controversies and aroused very deep sympathy and sentiments amongst Ghanaians yet no major headway has been made so far as information available to the affected families is concerned” the families asserted.
“We are calling on all our statesmen, the present and past presidents of Ghana, the Christian counsel of Ghana, the Muslim community, civil Society Groups and the diplomatic missions to intervene for us because the desperation and the perplexity are simply weighing us down not to talk of the toll being taken on us by the deafening silence of the government and our security Agencies” the concluded.
Read the full statement below
PRESS RELEASE
Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the Media
Thank you very much for answering our call under a very short notice
We the families of the three Kidnapped Sekondi/Takoradi girls called this August press conference to make a passionate appeal through your various media to as a matter of urgency address the issues surrounding the kidnappings that have thrown the entire Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis into a state of shock, sombreness and apprehension
The families of the Kidnapped victims and thousands of concerned Ghanaians are totally dismayed at the turn of events especially the silent posture being potrayed by the government on this crucial subject
On April 2, 2019, the criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana police service led by COP Tiwaa Addo -Danquah organised a Press conference to tell the whole country that “we know where the girls are. They are safe and they will be brought home soon” only for her to make a U-turn after media backslash to say that she was misunderstood and that she only said that to comfort the grieving family? Wow!
Secondly, a Ghanaweb publication of June 17, 2019 captioned Missing tadi girls are alive and fine, rescuing mission is underway to bring them home which was attributed to the National Security Minister Hon Bryan Acheampong has been over a month now without a glimmer of hope
Furthermore, in an interview monitored on ABC News in Ghana, the National Security Minister indicated that the location of the girls is known and that the security agencies are working assiduously to bring them to their families I think that in terms of where the investigation is leading us, I know we know where they are and so people of the media we put this question, if you know where the girls are, why don’t you go and bring them. It is not as easy as that and that is where we want to clarify so you don’t put it in the minds of people of Ghana that “we say we know where they are” as false and misleading. We know the country that we are and we are doing everything possible yo bring them back he said
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, What is most shocking is how the Ghana police service/National Security Operatives were able to gather all arsenal to rescue the two missing Canadian nationals with the speed of light three weeks after they were reported missing.
So we ask, why Can’t the same security agencies in the country use that “Usain bolt” speed to bring back our girls?
The first suspect Samuel Willis stated earlier in his statement that, the second suspectJohn Oji knows the whereabout of our girls and that should he (Oji) be found, he could show where the girls are.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, it has been over a month since the arrest of this second suspect, yet no information has come from the suspect himself nor the police
As we hold this press conference, the families of the three missing girls are so desperate for news about their daughters and their whereabouts. This is giving us sleepless nights with its attendants health implications
It’s been about 12 months since the first victim, Priscilla Bentum was Kidnapped in August 2018 before the two others, Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie and Ruth Love Quayson followed respectively in December of the same year
Matters relating to the rescue of these 3 girls have sparked so much controversies and aroused very deep sympathy and sentiments amongst Ghanaians yet no major headway has been made so far as information available to the affected families is concerned
From the aforementioned, the affected families would want to state the following
- The Ghana Police Service and Government officials should stop raising our hopes and later come to dash them as have been the case all these while. They should also stop the false reportage to you the media about the case
- We want the Authorities to investigate who aided Samuel Wills the first suspect to escape from the Takoradi Central Police Station as he stated he was aided by a police officer. Two police officers have since been transferred from the division.
- Stop the kangaroo court hearing that the state is running thereby keeping the aggrieved families in the dark
We are calling on all our statesmen, the present and past presidents of Ghana, the Christian counsel of Ghana, the Muslim community, civil Society Groups and the diplomatic missions to intervene for us because the desperation and the perplexity are simply weighing us down not to talk of the toll being taken on us by the deafening silence of the government and our security Agencies
We know God will do it, but he does it through human being but our fear is when the human being is not ready to be used
Thank you all
Long live Ghana
FindOurGals
Michael Kronchie
Michael Hayford
Nana Adjowa Quayson
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com
