SWAT Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Kojo Azugu, captured at the press briefing on the finding of the Canadian girls. His SWAT team is said to be part of the officers who handled the operation to rescue the kidnapped Canadian women

Reliable informants led to rescue of Canadian girls – ACP Eklu

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Jun - 13 - 2019 , 05:27 4 minutes read

The police administration has disagreed with suggestions that it put in more effort in finding the two kidnapped Canadian girls as compared to the effort in finding the three missing Takoradi girls.

According to the police, the two scenarios are not the same, and it was therefore not fair to make that kind of comparison.

Lauren Patricia Catherine Tilley, 19, and Bailey Jordan Chitty, 20, were abducted on June 4, 2019, in Kumasi while returning to their hostel from a youth development programme organised by Youth Challenge International.

At the Asokwa Four-Junction area, Lauren, Bailey and a third person told their colleagues they were going to their hostel at Nhyiaeso around the Royal Gulf Club.

They were however kidnapped on their way and in the early hours of Wednesday June 12, 2019, National Security operatives completed an operation which successfully rescued the two Canadian women.

There have been suggestions that because the two Canadians were foreigners and their kidnapping had international ramifications for Ghana, the police administration put in more effort and within one week, they were able to find them as against the three missing girls from Takoradi, who have not been found since last year.

But in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Radio Ghana Wednesday night, the Director General of Police Public Affairs Unit, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr David Eklu disagreed with the public suggestions and said the two scenarios were not the same.

He said whilst the police had good and timeous information that led to the rescue of the two Canadians, the same scenario cannot be stated for the Takoradi case.

Takoradi girls are not within Ghana’s jurisdiction - Police

ACP Eklu said, “we made an arrest [in the Takoradi case] but unfortunately that arrest did not lead to the rescue of the three girls.”

“In this case in Kumasi [Canadians kidnap], they [kidnappers and victims] had not gone outside the jurisdiction of Kumasi but in Takoradi, we believe that they [girls] are not even within the jurisdiction of Ghana,” ACP Eklu said whilst speaking on Radio Ghana’s “Behind the News” programme monitored by Graphic Online Wednesday night.

PHOTO: Lauren Patricia Catherine Tilley (left) and Bailey Jordan Chitty were found in the early hours of Wednesday June 12, 2018 at Kanyasi in Kumasi.

One lady escaped in Canadian kidnapping case - Eklu

He added: “The second point was that we had very good information on the Kumasi case and we moved in on it quickly because they were four in the car, the [Uber] driver who was taking them to their hostel, the two ladies and one other person, one other lady escaped, so they quickly came to give us the report and they were able to give us some basic information that helped us, and the community, we also had very reliable informants, who also gave us information that led to the swoop.”

One more suspect arrested in Takoradi missing girls case

ACP Eklu confirmed that one more person has been arrested in the Takoradi missing girls case but added the police administration was not happy that information has come out since it was not good for the ongoing investigations.

“The nature of this operation, we’d have wished that this information did not come out at this stage, it is true we have made an arrest but we still have a lot of work to do that is why we are cautiously optimistic, that we have made this arrest.”

“We are cautious about that, one person has been arrested and the one who is serving sentence for escaping from lawful custody was all along mentioning his name so we got him arrested, he was not arrested in Togo, he was arrested within Ghana and he is in custody now.”

ACPEklu confirmed the suspect had been taken to Takoradi to start facing the court action.

“It is a major step but we cannot hold him outside the remit of the law, so we need to get him properly remanded so that we can still probe to get further information,” the police spokesperson said.

Adding, he said the suspect has spoken to the investigators but as to what specific information, “I am unable to disclose at this stage, but we have had investigators have conversations with him, when we cross that bridge.”

The following is one of the reactions on the case since the announcement that the two Canadians have been found.

Can the Canadians who came to rescue the kidnapped Canadian citizens please stay on for like a week more and help us find our missing Takoradi girls? I will pay for accommodation I beg.
— MrDumelo (@johndumelo1) June 12, 2019