Ghana: Four men handed 10-year prison sentence for abducting two Canadian women

Four men have received each 10 years in prison for kidnapping back in 2019 two Canadian female volunteers in the Ghanaian city of Kumasi.

The men were found guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping Lauren Tilly and Bailey Chittey in June 2019, state-run Ghana News Agency (GNA) said.

Tilly and Chittey were in Ghana to volunteer for Youth Challenge International. They were reportedly forced into a vehicle at the entrance of their hotel in Kumasi.

Eight people, five Ghanaians and three Nigerians, were arrested in connection to investigations. The two women were rescued one week after the incident. The four sentenced by an Accra High Court include the three Nigerians, Sampson Agalor, a 27-year-old computer engineer, Elvis Ojiyorme, a 27-year-old businessman and Jeff Onarsar, 28, and one Ghanaian, Yusif Yakubu.

The prosecution accused them of demanding a ransom of some $800,000 for the women.

The incident chocked the nation. Ghana is regarded as a bastion of peace and stability in West Africa.