An Accra High court has remanded six accused persons who have been charged with four counts of conspiracy and kidnapping into BNI custody pending investigations.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and two counts of kidnapping.
On June 4, 2019, the accused persons agreed to act together with a common purpose to imprison the Canadian girls Bailey Jordan Chilly and Lauren Patricia Catherine Tilley.
All six of them conspired to imprison the two Girls.
In March this year the first accused person Sampson Aghalor a Nigerian who has been in Ghana for sometime now became good friends with the fourth accused person, Yusif Yakubu and in the course of their friendship the first accused person discussed the idea of kidnapping with him who agreed to assist.
Sampson went to Nigeria to recruit the second and third accused persons.
They later went to Kumasi and whilst there, they discussed how to kidnap persons. A1 gave A4 money to rent room and purchase two pistols and ammunitions at the outskirts of town.
On June 4, the fourth accused person rented a car at the cost of four hundred cedis, (400GHS).
In the evening of the same day they went to town searching for persons to kidnap.
The two Canadians were in the country on the invitation of Youth Challenge International.
The two ladies had boarded an Uber to their hostel at Nhyeaso.
They were accosted by the accused persons when they alighted from their Uber amidst shootings.
The four (4) assaulted the victims amidst shooting and forced them into the vehicle and drove off and kept them in an uncomplete building.
The first accused person then contacted the family of the victims in Canada and negotiated a ransom of eight hundred thousand dollars.
In order to create an impression that they had been seriously torched smeared blood all over the victims as well as the walls of the uncompleted building.
They took pictures of their blood soaked dresses and sent same to their families in Canada to compel them to send the ransom.
On June 11, the National security team led by Col Michael Opoku on intelligence headed to Kenyasi Krobo to rescue the victims.
During the rescues, the second and third accused persons threatened to kill the victims if the security officers dared them.
They were however, overpowered and arrested.
They mentioned the fifth (5th) and sixth (6th) accused persons Abudul Nasir and Seidu Abubakari as accomplices.
The court presided over by Justice George Buadi has adjourned the case to July 1, 2019.
Story by Yvonne Asare Offei
