Kidnappings: NPP Man urges parents to monitor their children when using phones, others

A leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Takoradi Constituency of the Western Region, Bernard Oduro-Nyarko, has urged parents in the country to monitor the activities of their children using technological gadgets like phones and the internet.

Between the months of August and December, last year, three kidnapping cases were reported to the police in Takoradi.

The first victim, Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21, a third year student of the University of Education, Winneba, lived with her parents at Diabene, near Takoradi.

She was kidnapped on August 17, 2018, at Kansaworodo.

Her parents paid a ransom of GH¢4,500 to the kidnappers, but their daughter was not freed so they later filed a complaint to the police in Takoradi.

The second victim, Ruth Love Quayson, 18, had just completed Fijai Senior High School in Sekondi and lived with her parents at Diabene, near Sekondi.

She was kidnapped on December 4, 2018, at Butumegyabu (BU) junction in Takoradi.

Her parents paid GH¢1,300 to the kidnappers before they made a report to the police.

The third victim Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie, 15, a first-year student of Sekondi College, lived with her parents at West Fijai, near Sekondi.

She was kidnapped on December 21, 2018, at a spot near Nkroful junction.

The parents also paid GH¢1,000 to the kidnappers before they made a report to the police.

Speaking at the news conference held on Monday, 28, 2019 in Takoradi, Mr. Oduro-Nyarko believes that the love for technology by children of the current generation accounts for these kidnapping cases in the country.

"The children of this generation are very much in love with technology, which is not bad if used properly but the same medium is also being used to exploit some of them and the Police accounts on these kidnapping cases particularly regarding the three girls confirmed they were all through the mobile phone", he emphasized.

He added "According to the police, there are phone conversations which showed that the alleged kidnapper had acquaintances with the girls before they were eventually captured".

He advised "Parents should therefore take interest in the kind of phones their children uses, who they communicate with, contents of their discussions and even the websites they visits to help stop these ongoing disturbing developments".

He, therefore, urged the police to up their game to arrest the kidnappers who are behind these kidnappings in the Second-Takoradi and brought them to book.

He also called on the residents within the Sekondi-Takoradi and outside to assist the police with credible information to arrest these kidnappers.

"As residents we all have a duty to provide not only credible but timely information to the Police to help their work since security is a shared

responsibility", he urged.

He used the occasion to commend the media in Sekondi-Takoradi for their key role they have been playing so far for alerting the security agencies about the kidnappings in the area.

I would want to commend you all gathered and those who couldn’t make it for the good working you are doing in helping to shape our nation.

The media in Sekondi-Takoradi has proven once again that you are capable of delivering credible and timely information and you deserve

commendation.