World News | Four Men Sentenced to Jail for Kidnapping Canadians in Ghana

Accra, Dec 21 (AP) Four men have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Ghana for kidnapping two Canadian volunteers in the West African country several years ago, said Ghana's state media.

The men were found guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping Lauren Tilly and Bailey Chittey in June 2019, said the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday.

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The two women were taken from their hostel in the town of Kumasi in the Ashanti region while doing volunteer work for the aid group, Youth Challenge International, said a statement by Ghana's government at the time of the incident.

The women were rescued by security forces one week later.

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Eight men were initially arrested in relation to the kidnapping, five Ghanaians and three Nigerians.

The four convicted 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 men were accused of demanding a ransom of some USD 800,000 for the women, the prosecution said during the initial days of the trial.

Kidnappings are relatively rare in Ghana which is regarded as a bastion of peace and stability in volatile West Africa.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)