Being Security Conscious Amidst Rising Kidnapping Cases

NEWS COMMENTARY ENTREATS GHANAIANS TO BE SECURITY CONSCIOUS AMIDST THE SPATE OF KIDNAPPING CASES

Ghana has over the past year, witnessed kidnappings which hitherto was unknown to this country. Kidnapping everywhere is a serious crime. It is the unlawful carrying away, or the capturing and confinement of a person, against his or her will. In most cases, victims are unlawfully imprisoned by means of abduction. Kidnapped Victims are mostly tortured, resulting in bodily injury, raped and traumatised.  There are many non-cogent reasons why criminals kidnap their fellow human beings. Official records available have it that, nearly 80 kidnapping cases have been recorded in the country, between June last year and now, with children and teenagers being the foremost victims with females forming majority. The most talked about kidnapping cases in the country today, are about the three Takoradi girls and two Canadian ladies.  The Canadians were, Lauren Patricia Tilley, and Bailey Jordan Chitty, volunteering for a Canadian Charity. They were abducted on June 4, this year in Kumasi while returning to their hostel after the day’s activities. The Ghanaian security operatives first arrested two of the kidnappers who later led the police to the other 6 Nigerians who are behind the kidnapping. Two more have been arrested. The other is the Takoradi kidnapping case, which involved Priscilla Mantebea, 18 years, Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21 and Ruth Love Quayson, 18 years more than half a year ago.  A Nigerian, Samuel Udoetuk Wills was arrested and arranged before the courts. Kidnapping of the Consular-General and Head of Mission of Estonia to Ghana, Nabil Makram Basbous and kidnapping and murdering of a two-year-old boy in Kasoa are fresh in the minds of Ghanaians. The swiftness of the police and the entire security system in all these is highly commendable. What is yet to be unravelled is rescuing the three Takoradi girls, which has been a very topical issue in the country.

Many Ghanaians do not understand why the Canadian ladies were swiftly rescued while it has taken the same security agencies more than half a year to lay hands on the missing girls. Security experts say, the two cases are similar but not the same. Context, circumstances, location, timing, persons and the environments widely differ. For instance, while the Kumasi incident was reported to the police, within hours, the Takoradi one was reported to the police weeks later. While the Kumasi girls had no previous relationship with the criminals, at least one of the Takoradi girls is allegedly known to have had an acquaintance with the criminal. Again, while the Kumasi criminals were unable to take the Canadian women out of Kumasi, the Nigerians involved in the Takoradi case perhaps managed to whisk the three girls out of Takoradi, thus making detection and investigation complex and difficult. This might explain why the Minister of State-in-charge of National Security, Mr Bryan Acheampong indicated that the nation has committed more resources to the investigation of the three Takoradi missing girls than any other kidnapping case in the country, except that the ultimate results have not yet been achieved.

Unfortunately, this very important national and international matter has been seriously politicised.  Everyone in the country, politicians inclusive, is prone to kidnapping and there is the urgent need to fight it from a common front, as a nation. The role of the security, media and the public are key in fighting this unfortunate phenomenon. Offenders should be seriously punished and job creation plans of the government intensified to engage many idle hands. There should be sustained education on security tips in schools and homes on effective kidnapping combat.

BY: NANA SIFA-TWUM, A COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT BASED IN THE UK.