Trader Jailed 120 Months For Kidnapping

A 30-year-old trader, who kidnapped a 12-year-old pupil, for 10 days has been sentenced to 120 months imprisonment by a Kumasi Circuit Court. Faustina Addo pleaded guilty to the offence. The police have mounted a search for her husband, Kwadwo Amankwaa, who is at large, for complicity. The court presided over by Mr Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey heard from Police Chief Inspector Comfort Baffour Kyei that the victim, Odeta Baidoo, lives with her mother, Augustina Baidoo, at Bantama in Kumasi. The young girl sells sachet water after close of school every day. She said on September 28, Odeta went on her routine but this did not return home. The next morning, the mother received a telephone call from a man, who identified himself as Pastor Obeng and informed her that Odeta was with him and the wife at Asante-Effiduase. He asked Augustina to call back to be given direction to their residence. Police Chief Inspector Baffour-Kyei said the caller left the woman in no doubt that he got her cell phone number through the victim. Augustina quickly set off for Effiduase, where he made a formal complaint to the police and escorted by police officers they went looking for Odeta but without success. The said pastor could also not be reached on the cell phone number he gave to the woman. On October 8, Odeta escaped from her captors at an isolated area at Kotwi, a fast developing community along the Kumasi-Obuasi highway. The victim informed the mother how Amankwaa tricked her at Kejetia that he was taking her to Bantama, but ended up at Kotwi where she was kept in a room and fed twice a day. Odeta led the police to arrest the convict but Amankwaa fled on seeing the personnel.