Alleged American Kidnapping: Case adjourned to April 8
The case in which two Nigerians have been nabbed for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of an 80-year-old American has been adjourned to April 8.
Emmanuel Adedoyin Adebayor, a 28-year-old trader and Esther Ogbonna, a beautician, have not been able to execute their GHC500,000 bail.
They were handcuffed and escorted to court by the police.
The accused persons’ accomplice, a Dennis Poromo, the third accused person, is said to be at large.
Adebayor and Poromo have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit kidnapping and stealing, kidnapping and stealing.
Esther is facing an abetment charge.
Adebayor and Esther have pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution said on December 6, 2024, the police received a complaint from the FBI agents of the American Embassy in Accra that a female United States of America citizen, Diana Christine Nelson, had been kidnapped by some unknown persons.
The prosecution said the 80-year-old victim arrived in Ghana on November 22, 2024.
According to the prosecutor, the police commenced investigations and intelligence led the Police to a hotel in Larteh Akwapim on December 8, 2024.
The prosecution said the information gathered indicated that the victim and one of the accused persons were in the hotel.
On December 11, 2024, Police intelligence led to the arrest of Adebayor when he went to withdraw money from the accounts of the victim using her US ATM debit card.
The prosecution said Adebayor led the police to a house in Tema Community 11, where the victim was being held hostage in an apartment.
The Court heard that the victim, who appeared traumatised, was taken to the hospital.
The prosecution said investigations revealed that Adebayor posed as one Mark Hammond, a popular actor in the US, to lure the victim to Ghana.
Esther, the second accused, picked the victim up from the Kotoka International Airport and took her to an apartment in East Legon Hills and later transferred her to the Tema Community 11.
According to the prosecution, from the time the victim arrived in Ghana until their arrest, it was Esther who was taking care of the victim.
Prosecution said the victim arrived in the country with four mobile phones.
“All the phones and her bank cards were seized from her and warned not to disclose any information to anyone.” the prosecution said.
According to the prosecution, Adebayor and his friend, Poromo, who is now at large, succeeded in withdrawing $15,821.7 from the victim’s bank account and also demanded a ransom of $ 150,000 from the family of the victim.
The prosecution said the bank cards and mobile phones, namely “Bru Phone, Samsung Galaxy A15, and iPhone 12, belonging to the victim were retrieved from the accused persons, namely Adebayor and Poromo, who had sold them at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra.
The prosecution said cash in the sum of GHC7,000 and GHc4,000, being proceeds of the phone sold and part of the withdrawal made from the ATM, respectively, were also retrieved from Adebayor.
According to the prosecution, the iPhone 12 could not be retrieved.