Kidnapped girls not yet rescued – Police Service dismisses reports

The Police Service has dismissed media reports suggesting that the kidnapped Takoradi girls have been rescued.

The Daily Guide newspaper had reported that the three girls had been found and are currently being given treated at an undisclosed health facility in Accra.

“Sources say they were brought to Accra from Takoradi [Tuesday],” Daily Guide reported.

The Service in a statement said the report is “false and cannot be confirmed by the Police.”

It however assured families of the kidnapped girls and the public that it is working “tirelessly with partner agencies to rescue the girls.”

“Police have assigned liaison officers in Takoradi to coordinate information between Police and the families of the kidnapped girls and encourage family leadership to cooperate with the assigned officers.

“Journalists, Publishers, Editors and Producers are hereby reminded to desist from publishing news without verification from authorized Police sources.”

The families of the three girls who were kidnapped in Takoradi earlier served notice that they will, on May 2, 2019, storm the Police CID headquarters to demand proof that the girls are alive.

According to the family, they want firsthand proof that the Police Service knows where the girls are being held.

The spokesman for families of the three kidnapped girls, Michael Hayford Grant, in an interview with Citi News’ Akwasi Agyei Annim said the action is due to the failure of the police to rescue the girls despite pressure on them to do so.

“We are going to the headquarters to call Madam Tiwaa to lead us to where the three girls are. She is saying she knows where the girls are. They should locate the girls. We are not going to fight anybody but we are going to hold Madam Tiwaa responsible”, he said.

The kidnappings 

The anxious families have spent the last few months protesting and demanding urgency from the CID but officials have asked the families to remain steadfast as they continue investigations.

The girls, Ruth Quayson, Priscilla Blessing Bentum and Priscilla Koranchie are believed to have been kidnapped between August 2018 and January 2019.

The main suspect in the kidnapping, Sam Udoetuk Wills is currently before a court after he escaped from jail in December 2018 following his first arrest.

Over the period, residents in the metropolis have voiced concern over the pace of the investigations.

Some groups have held protests and also petitioned the President and the Sekondi Regional Coordinating Council over the case.

Citinewsroom