The following account by JoyNews, recounts the sequence of events leading to the disappearance of four Takoradi girls who are now confirmed dead.<\/p>\n
The Ag. Inspector of General of Police, James Oppong Boanuh, said at a press conference Monday, that the results of the DNA test on\u00a0remains retrieved in Takoradi<\/a>\u00a0have been relayed to the families along with\u00a0condolences.<\/p>\n All four girls were\u00a0 kidnapped in 2018.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Ruth Abakah – July 29, 2018. She was last seen by her family at Diabena Methodist Church. She was\u00a019 years.<\/p>\n Priscilla Blessing Bentum -August 17, 2018, captured at Kansawurodo. 21 years.<\/p>\n Ruth Love Quayeson- December 4, 2018,\u00a0captured at Butumagyebu junction. 18 years<\/p>\n Priscilla\u00a0 Mantseabea Koranchie – December\u00a0 21, 2018,\u00a0captured at Nkroful Junction .15 Years.<\/p>\n Three lived at Diabene and one at West Fijai, both suburbs of Sekondi\u00a0-Takoradi.<\/i><\/p>\n Ruth Abakah kidnapped July 29, 2018<\/b><\/p>\n Elder Sister of Ruth Abakah, Matilda Abakah says the suspect called her demanding money to release her on the 30th\u00a0July.<\/p>\n Kidnappers of Ruth Love Quayson, for instance, used her phone to call the mother\u00a0and demanded a ransom for her release. They followed up with text messages which included one sent on December 6, 2018, at 5:55 pm which read \u201cUr daughter is sick u beta pick so she can come back home.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruth Love Quayson kidnapped December 4, 2018<\/b><\/p>\n According to the account of\u00a0 Nana Adjoa Quayson, her\u00a0<\/b>sister,\u00a0Ruth Love\u00a0Quayson left the house around 9:30 am to 10 am on\u00a0December 4, 2018, to go to MTN office for job recruitment.<\/p>\n Later she called \u201cus with her phone around 1:30 crying and telling my mom to help her because she didn\u2019t see anything again once she got into a taxi and that some people have taken her into a room demanding for GH\u00a2500 before they will leave her.\u201d<\/p>\n A GH\u00a210,000 ransom was later demanded in a phone call for her release.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They first went to Takoradi MTN office before 2 pm on December 4,\u00a0for help to trace the number but were refused until they had a formal police request.<\/p>\n The family then moved to the Takoradi Market Circle station around 2 pm on the same day but the station told them they already have one unresolved kidnapping case so they should go to the Takoradi Central Police station.<\/p>\n They then went to the Takoradi Central Police station around 3 pm to report.<\/p>\n On the December 5, the first payment of GH\u00a2100 was made for her feeding through the kidnapped girl\u2019s phone. The police even recommended they rather pay GH\u00a250 but the kidnappers said GH\u00a250 was not enough for her feeding.<\/p>\n They paid another GH\u00a2100 for medicine on December 6, when the kidnappers demanded money to buy medicine for the sister who had taken ill.<\/p>\n After more demands for the payment of the ransom of GH\u00a210,000\u00a0which was later bargained\u00a0to GH\u00a28,000, they went to the BNI on December 7.<\/p>\n The BNI advised\u00a0them\u00a0to request\u00a0for more time to organise.<\/p>\n The family used a different number to send GH\u00a2500 on December 7, with the consent of the Police and BNI who encouraged them to send to help them to track the number.<\/p>\n This led to the arrest of an old student of Takoradi Technical Institute (TTI) but he was not connected and later released.<\/p>\n Another GH\u00a2500 was sent with the help of a Pastor to the kidnappers within the second week of kidnapping, which led to the arrest of Sam Udeotuk Wills, a Nigerian on\u00a0December 22. But escaped on December 30.<\/p>\n The police officer on duty on the day of his escape was given seven days to produce the accused but\u00a0within four days, he was recaptured at a hideout at Kansawurodo where some clothes which were\u00a0confirmed to be those\u00a0of Priscilla Mantsebea, were\u00a0found.<\/p>\n Demonstration<\/b><\/p>\n On January 4, 2019, relatives\u00a0and friends of the kidnapped girls as well as Takoradi residents, demanded investigation and prosecution of officers on duty.<\/p>\n The suspect appeared before Takoradi District Court on January 9, on charges of escaping lawful custody, resisting arrest and destroying public property which he pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He reappeared before the court on January 16,\u00a0on the same charges.<\/p>\n The families\u00a0of the kidnapped Takoradi girls later gave the\u00a0police one-week to find girls or face further demonstrations.<\/p>\n Kidnapping scare hits Takoradi<\/b><\/p>\n Kidnapping scare hit Sekondi-Takoradi with several alleged kidnappings.<\/p>\n PRO of the Western Region\u00a0Command, ASP Olivia Adiku, in an interview with JoyNews on January 22,\u00a0assured the\u00a0kidnapped girls\u2019 family of continuous investigation and hinted\u00a0of new leads.<\/p>\n On January 23, Western Police Commander\u00a0DCOP Vincent Redeemer Dedjoe\u00a0held\u00a0the first official press conference on the kidnapped girls, giving information about how the kidnapping happened\u00a0and provided updates on investigations.<\/p>\n He also said they are following up on certain leads. Alleged messages from suspect Sam Wills\u2019 phone revealed he had an ongoing relationship with the kidnapped girls, taken some ransom, promised some phones and others.<\/p>\n Residents of Takoradi on January 25, began a street awareness campaign to draw more attention to the saga and also put pressure on the police.<\/p>\n News of other kidnappings scare nearly ended innocent people’s lives.<\/p>\n Example of such was seen on\u00a0January 28, at Ketan Junction\/Ahenkofi,\u00a0where\u00a0residents besieged uncompleted hotel demanding the release of a suspected kidnapper.<\/p>\n The Police PRO on January 28, warned\u00a0speculative kidnap cases could lead to lynching of innocent persons.<\/p>\n CID boss visits\u00a0the families<\/b><\/p>\n Police CID Boss, DCOP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah,\u00a0visited the families on Saturday, January, 26.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Minister of Gender, Women and Children Protection, Cynthia Morrison, visited the families\u00a0<\/b>on\u00a0January 27, with words of hope and safety of the children.<\/p>\n Police assist kidnapped victims’ families with Psychologist.<\/p>\n Friends, relations of the kidnapped girls and Takoradi residents on February 4, held a vigil in demand of the\u00a0girls.<\/p>\n Police aid suspect to escape<\/b><\/p>\n Suspect Samuel Udeotuk Wills revealed on February 11, during his cell break trial that a CID Officer and one Kwesi, aided his escape from cell.<\/p>\n The Western Region Police Command set up\u00a0an investigation into escaping of the suspect but the result of the investigation was never known.<\/p>\n Families demand President\u2019s intervention\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n On February 14, families of the missing girls held a press conference and demanded President Akufo-Addo\u2019s\u00a0intervention or face more demonstration.<\/p>\n On February 19, at the Takoradi District\u00a0court, Samuel Wills failed to produce witnesses, John\/Kwesi in court after two weeks of adjournments.<\/p>\n A Takoradi-based group called Concerned Mothers Association on February 21, held a float and expressed disappointments with the President\u2019s silence on the kidnapped girls.<\/p>\n The kidnapped girls\u2019 families on\u00a0March 4, demanded representation in suspect\u2019s escape case.<\/p>\n We know where the girls are- CID<\/b><\/p>\n April 2;\u00a0CID boss Tiwaa Addo-Danquah assured families they knew the whereabouts of the kidnapped girls.<\/p>\n April 23; The kidnapped girls\u2019 families threatened to storm the CID Headquarters for lack of information on whereabouts of their daughters\u00a0and accused the\u00a0CID boss of deciet following assurances at the April 2 news conference about the whereabouts of the girls.<\/p>\n April 24; The Kidnapped girls\u2019 families gave IGP and the\u00a0CID boss an ultimatum to clarify rumours on Daily Guide\u2019s report.<\/p>\n April 29; Samuel Udoetuk Wills, was\u00a0convicted for 18\u00a0 months for cell-break.<\/b><\/p>\n The case of jailbreak travelled from January to April, causing a lot of anxiety among relatives of the three kidnapped girls and residents.<\/p>\n May 1; Police finally introduced liaison officers to kidnapped girls\u2019 families<\/p>\n May 12; CID\u00a0Boss confesses earlier statement was just to give police investigators hope and was misunderstood on an Accra-based TV station, Atinka TV.<\/p>\n May 21; Families of the kidnapped girls\u00a0appeal for the removal of the CID boss.<\/p>\n June 3; Concerned Mothers Association reiterated\u00a0calls for CID boss\u2019 removal over refusal to apologise for lying on the whereabouts of the kidnapped girls.<\/p>\n June 8; Western Youth for Justice embarked on a demonstration over the saga.<\/p>\n June 12; The Takoradi missing girls\u2019 family welcomed news of\u00a0the rescue of two\u00a0Canadian girls kidnapped in Kumasi, Ashanti Region,\u00a0with disappointment.<\/p>\n June 12; Second Nigerian\u00a0suspect, John Oji, was arrested in Togo and remanded into custody by Sekondi High Court.<\/p>\n July 7; the\u00a0Sekondi High Court asked for legal representation for the two suspects.<\/p>\n July 15; Families of Takoradi Kidnapped girls held a press conference in Accra with a threat to demonstrate on August 10.<\/p>\n August 2; Police retrieve human remains from a septic tank behind a house where the prime suspect, Samuel Udotek Wills lived in.<\/p>\n August 6; The fourth skeletal remains were retrieved from a well in an uncompleted building, where the prime suspect was re-arrested.<\/p>\n September 16; The Ag. Inspector of General of Police, James Oppong-Boanuh said at a press conference\u00a0that, the results of the DNA test on\u00a0remains retrieved in Takoradi<\/a>\u00a0have been confirmed to be those of the girls.<\/p>\n Find below links to major news stories on the kidnapped Takoradi girls<\/a> courtesy ghanaweb’s dossier.<\/p>\n\n