Over 100 residents of Ahenkofi, a suburb of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, on Sunday besieged the Evergreen Hotel over suspicion that some Nigerians alleged to be kidnappers were hiding there.
This was after a 19-year-old resident, Emmanuel Aidoo, told residents that four men had allegedly attempted to abduct him.
[contextly_sidebar id=”6fqNAn6T8TRO6YQqaubtijiQvEpZbcs5″]This incident follows the search for three girls in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, and one in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, who are believed to have been kidnapped between August 2018 and January 2019.
The Takoradi girls have been identified as Ruth Quayson, Priscilla Blessing Bentum and Priscilla Koranchie.
The angry residents surrounded the hotel in search of the suspected group of Nigerians lodging there.
“We had information that some alleged kidnappers were hiding in the hotel. That is why we are here. Upon arrival, we saw the police who assisted us to inspect the place,” one of the angry residents told Citi News.
“The hotel has underground rooms. We found a huge hand-dug hole and we are suspecting that the kidnappers escaped from it,” he added.
Supt. George Effah led the team of police officers that tried to control the crowd at the hotel, but he declined to provide any details on the matter.
“We are on top of issues. I have indicated that I am not going to talk about the parts of the case,” the Superintendent said.
Call for military action
The angry residents requested military action and accused the hotelier of collaborating with the alleged kidnappers.
“It is all about mistrust. It is all about unfaithfulness. Now they are calling for the military instead of the police.”
One other resident, Sophia Mensah, said the purported kidnappings had the residents on edge.
“We live in constant apprehension because as long as the kidnappers are at large, our children are not safe. They should bring in the military to arrest them.”
The agitated residents even roughed up the hotelier when he was trying to talk to Citi News.
“I told them they are destroying my business so they [police] should walk them out and they are saying they are a mob so I should leave them because they will go on their own.”
Some 15 persons have been arrested in the Eastern Region over the kidnapping of the three girls in the Western Region.
Police are also seeking the assistance of experts from the United States of America and the United Kingdom to help rescue the victims.
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By: Akwasi Agyei Anim | citinewsroom.com | Ghana