Kidnapped Takoradi Girls: Police ‘give up’ after suspect refuses to talk

Residents in Takoradi have been tense in recent months following the kidnapping of seven teenage girls in the regional capital.

The Police has so far managed to arrest the suspect, identified as Nigerian national Samuel Wilson Udoterg, but have not been able to extract much from him. 

Speaking on Joy News, Mr. Dedzo said the Police has tried all they can but the suspect has simply refused to talk.

“We have tried all means to talk to him. In the initial stages, he took us to Kasoa [Central region suburb] and we combed the whole of Kasoa yet he could not lead us to where the victims are,” he said.

“He is not even ready to talk. He will tell you he doesn’t know where the victims are.”

The count on kidnapped teenage girls in Takoradi is currently at seven, with parents of the victims embarking on numerous protests against the Police’s slow pace in dealing with the issue.

There have also been criticisms from civil society groups, gender activists and some lawyers on how the Police has so far handled the case.

However, Mr. Dedzo believes the backlash has been unfair, insisting the Police cannot use inhumane means to get the suspect to talk.

“That is the wrong perception about what we are doing. You must use tactics; when the person is not talking what can we do? You cannot subject him to inhumane treatment because the laws of human rights do not allow a lot of things to be done.

“I don’t even know what they want us to do apart from going by the procedural processes and doing what is right as professionals,” the Western Regional Police Commander added.