Galamsey worker gets 7 years imprisonment for abducting 13-year-old girl

Correspondence from Ashanti Region

The Bekwai Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Isaac Appietu, has sentenced an 18-year-old driver and illegal miner (galamsey worker) to seven years in prison for the abduction and defilement of a 13-year-old girl.

The convict, Jeffrey Owusu, also known as Ola Nkwan, a resident of Pakyi No. 2, was found guilty of defiling the minor contrary to Section 91 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

Presenting the facts of the case, the police investigator, Inspector Gifty Asare-Brenya, told the court that the complainant, Afia Bio, a 70-year-old roasted plantain seller residing at Sabin Akrofrom near Trede, is the grandmother and guardian of the 13 year old victim.

According to the prosecution, in the latter part of 2025, the convict abducted the victim and kept her at his residence in Pakyi No 2. All attempts by the grandmother to locate and rescue her granddaughter proved futile, as Owusu subsequently fled the town with the victim to Nnenhini, a community near Manso.

Following the unsuccessful search, the grandmother reported the disappearance to the Trede Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service. Despite public announcements made through various media outlets, the victim's whereabouts remained unknown.

On May 26, 2026, police intelligence led to the arrest of Owusu after he returned to Trede without the victim.

During interrogation, the convict admitted to abducting the minor and keeping her for several months, during which he repeatedly had sexual intercourse with her.

Owusu initially claimed he had escorted the victim to Dunkwa on April 8, 2026, following the Easter holidays, and asserted that he no longer knew her whereabouts.

On June 3, 2026, acting on a tip-off, police investigators proceeded to Ayamfuri. With the assistance of a local informant, they located and rescued the victim at Wampam, a village near Ayamfuri.

Upon her rescue, the victim revealed that the convict had sent her away to the remote village after she became pregnant by him. She further disclosed that the pregnancy was subsequently aborted.

A police medical form issued for clinical examination confirmed that the victim’s hymen was ruptured with physical bruises, consistent with sexual penetration.

"Following a thorough investigation, the police charged Owusu with abduction and defilement. He was arraigned before the Bekwai Circuit Court, where he was convicted and sentenced to serve a seven-year prison term," a police investigator told GhanaWeb's Ashanti Regional Correspondent Nana Peprah.