Emmanuel Anza Cobbina , Grandfather of Ruth Abakah
Families of the kidnapped Takoradi girls, who have been confirmed dead by the police, were yesterday granted access to the skeletal remains of the girls.
This was after a brief meeting with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, at the Police Headquarters in Accra.
The meeting, which lasted for about an hour and a half, was to resolve some outstanding concerns the families had raised, which included a permission to see the skeletal remains the police claimed were those of the victims, take the skeletons for a second DNA test, and collect a copy of the DNA report offered by the police.
The delegation was from the Bentum, Quaison and Abakah families.
Meeting Outcome
According to Superintendent Sheila Abayie Buckman, the Director in charge of the Public Affairs Department of the Ghana Police Service, the families wanted to meet the IGP and other members of the police management board.
She said the Spokesperson of the families, Michael Grant Hayford, informed the police that they were there to see the skeletons, have a copy of the police DNA report, collect the skeletons for a second opinion and to congratulate the IGP.
“The IGP in a response instructed that the family members go to the Police Hospital morgue and see the skeletal remains that are subject of investigation and then be briefed accordingly by the experts,” she added.
She said the IGP also gave the permission for the families to ask any questions bothering them.
Superintendent Buckman said the IGP further told the family that the police were prepared to hand over the DNA report to the family but would have to follow the lawful procedure of applying through the court.
Doubts
After viewing the remains, all representatives of the three families present claimed they were not ‘convinced’ that the skeletons were those of their girls.
Francis Bentum, father of Priscilla Bentum, told DAILY GUIDE after the meeting that he was showed a skeleton marked “SK1” arranged on a bed.
He said the skeleton he saw did not look like that of his daughter and looked like a skeleton of a person buried for years.
Riise Quaison, father of Ruth Quaison, said they believed the children were alive and would do whatever it took to get them back.
Grandfather of Ruth Abakah, Emmanuel Anza Cobbina, added that they would follow the instructions by the police to claim the bones in court for a second opinion to be conducted on the skeletons.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)