It has emerged that the DNA samples aimed at helping the police in their investigations into the Takoradi kidnapping cases were taken from the mothers and siblings of the missing girls.
The samples had been taken to help the police determine the identity of some human remains recently retrieved from a septic tank at Kansaworodo, a suburb of Takoradi, where the key suspect in the kidnapping case, Samuel Udoetuk Wills, resided.
A fourth set of remains was also discovered at Nkroful Ridge in Takoradi near where the Nigerian suspect was hiding after breaking cells from a police station in the metropolis.
Kojo Tawiah, an uncle of Ruth Love Quayson, one of the victims, said on radio in Takoradi yesterday that prior to the taking of the samples, the experts explained to the family members what the exercise entailed.
According to him, the mothers and siblings of the victims were preferred instead of the paternal side of the family.
He confirmed that a long thin stick which looked like a cotton bud was put in the mouth of two persons each from the families for the samples.
Francis Bentum, father of Priscilla Blessing Bentum, the first victim, corroborated the story saying he went to the Police Regional Headquarters with his wife and son for their samples to be taken.
He, however, maintained that he had strong conviction that their daughters are still alive.
DAILY GUIDE Story
Some of the residents in the metropolis, who also called into radio station programmes, believed that the publication by DAILY GUIDE that the girls might be working for a certain Mama, who owns a baby making factory in Nigeria, might be true.
They expressed optimism that the children are not dead and appealed to the police to follow up on the paper’s story.
IGP Praised
They highly commended the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, for taking the initiative to visit the families of the missing girls to offer them some encouragement.
Besides, they commended him for the immediate steps he took to ensure samples of the family members were taken for the DNA tests.
Alexander Kuranchie, father of Priscilla Kuranchie, one of the victims, noted that despite the delay to visit the families, it was better late than never.
Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21, a third-year student of the University of Education, Winneba, was kidnapped on 17th August 2018 at Kansaworodo and Ruth Love Quayson, 18, a Fijai Senior High School leaver in Sekondi, was kidnapped on 4th December 2018 at Butumegyabu Junction in Takoradi.
Piscilla Mantebea Kuranchie, 15, a first-year student of Sekondi College, was kidnapped on 21st December 2018 at a spot near Nkroful Junction and the fourth victim, Ruth Abakah, a former student of Diabene Senior High School, was last seen on July 29, 2018.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi