Canadian kidnappers’ trial: Court to hear evidence from victims’ parents via conference
An Accra High Court will on November 27 hold a conference call to hear testimonies of the parents of the two Canadians who were allegedly kidnapped in Kumasi in June last year by four persons.
The victims, students; Ms Lauren Patricia Catherine Tilley and Ms Bailey Jordan Chilley both 19, were kidnapped in Kumasi after participating in a youth programme on June 4, 2019.
The four accused persons; Sampson Aghalor, aka Romeo, Elvis Ojiyorwe, Jeff Omarsar and Yusif Yakubu have all been charged with conspiracy to kidnap and two counts of kidnapping.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the offence.
At the court, the first Prosecution Witness, an officer of the Bureau of National Communication was discharged after he was subjected to further cross-examination by Longinus Chinedu, counsel for Aghalor.
An all-Ghanaian security operation led by the National Security on June 11, last year, rescued the two Canadian ladies who were abducted from the gates of their hostel at a Kumasi suburb.
The accused persons were said to have kidnapped their victims who were in the country to do voluntary work and residing at Kumasi.
The accused persons allegedly kept them in an uncompleted building on the outskirts of the town and demanded a ransom of $800,000.
The two ladies had boarded an Uber to their hostel at Nhyiaeso behind the Vienna Hotel, but were accosted by the accused persons when they arrived at their destination and alighted from the car.
On June 11, this year, security operatives arrested Yakubu at his house and he led the operatives to arrest Aghalor at Aboabo.
The security officials also arrested Orjiyorwe and Omarsa at Amoam Achaise, whilst they held on to the victims amid exchanges of gunfire.
Orjiyorme and Omarsa allegedly threatened to kill the victims if the operatives did not retreat.
But the two were overpowered, arrested and the victims rescued.
The security retrieved several items, including; a hand grenade, knives, pistols and other personal effect of the victims at the crime scene.
Source: GNA