Crime

2 Nigerians were in kidnapping business in their country -Witness

A prosecution witness, Detective Chief Inspector Dorcas Asare on Tuesday, told the Sekondi High Court One, that the two Nigerians connected with the kidnappings and murder of the  four Takoradi girls, were in kidnapping business in Nigeria.

She mentioned that catalogues of phone calls established connections between the four victims and Samuel Udoetuk Wills (first accused) and John Oji (second accused).

Cross-examined by counsel for Oji, Mark Bosiah, Detective Chief Insp Asare  told the court presided  by Justice Richard Adjei Frempong, that  in  a   Facebook chat  on July 19, 2018  Wills asked Oji “Can you kill for  money?” To which, Oji replied in the affirmative, saying “hmm, BG, yes.”

Chief Insp Asare disagreed  with the counsel’s submission that Oji knew nothing about the girls, saying Wills  in  his caution statement, confessed same and  that Oji, a salesman  in his caution statement, on November 20,  2019, at the Takoradi Central Police station, claimed that Wills in 2017, demanded 110, 000 Naira to secure him a job,  which failed.

The prosecution witness said Oji told the investigators  that he came to Ghana on December 2, 2018, to collect his money, but,  after exchanges he went back home,but he was arrested at the Benin -Togo border  on June 4, 2019, on his third coming.

Detective Chief Inspector Asare said the second accused admitted that  Wills was   involved in kidnappings while in Nigeria and later escaped to Ghana.

She said that Oji knew the victims and was connected to the kidnappings and cataloged calls from Wills showed that he chatted with Priscilla Blessing Bentum, his girlfriend.

Chief Insp Asare told the court that on August 17, 2018, Wills claimed that he was not in his house at Kansaworod owhen Priscilla visited the place and rather met Oji, who entertained her and, later, kidnapped the girl.

“Again, Wills have been calling Ruth-Love Quayson, another victim   on the Tigo network and used same to call victim Priscilla Bentum. Wills admitted calling Oji and the video recordings in court showed that,” she said.

Chief Insp Asare stressed: “On March 13, 2019, second accused sent am SMS message stating “I am getting married on April 20, 2019. Again, on December 22, 2018, when Samuel Wills was arrested, he mentioned John Oji’s connection with the kidnappings. Additionally, second accused, sent a message to Wills which read ‘please call me.’”

She emphasised  that,  a foreign phone number belonging to Oji showed  that  he  knew about  the case  in court, and that  investigators  confirmed  the same voice on the phone  he used to call  the  first accused  and also  the conversation with Ruth Love Quayson.

In all these, the prosecution witness said, Oji’s name appearedand that he admitted same.

Wills, trader, and Oji, salesman, have pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy and murder. 

The prosecution, led by the Chief State Attorney, Patience Klinogo, recalled that between July and December 2018, the accused were involved  in the kidnapping  of four girls, Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21, at Kansaworodo,  Ruth Love Quayson, 18, Priscilla Mantebea, 15 and Ruth Abeka, 18,  at different locations in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.

The accused, who demanded ransoms from the victims’ parents, were later arrested in 2019 to assist the police in investigations.

Ms Klinogo  told the court that the police forensic results of human remains found at Kansaworodo in Takoradi proved 99.99 per cent confirmation that they were the remains of the four Takoradi kidnapped girls,  hence their charge.

FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, SEKONDI

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