(Accra) Ghana’s official press reported on Tuesday that four men have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping two Canadian volunteers several years ago.
The individuals were convicted of conspiracy and the kidnapping of Lauren Tilly and Bailey Chittey in June 2019, Ghana News reports.
The two women had been kidnapped from their hostel in the city of Kumasi in the Ashanti region, where they were working as volunteers for the charity Youth Challenge International, the Ghanaian government said in a statement at the time of their abduction.
The women were rescued by security forces a week later.
Eight men were initially arrested in connection with this case, five Ghanaians and three Nigerians. The three Nigerians ― who are now 27 and 28 ― were found guilty, as was a 28-year-old Ghanaian.
The men were accused of demanding a ransom of around US$800,000 for the women, it was heard at the start of their trial.
Abductions are relatively rare in Ghana. The country is seen as an oasis of peace and stability in West Africa, a fairly volatile region.