An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a driver, Godfred Ayittey, to eight years imprisonment with hard labor for attempting to kidnap a father and daughter for ransom.
Mr Ayittey had denied conspiring with Wang Liang in preparation for the kidnapping, but he was found guilty after trial. Wang Liang is currently at large.
The court heard that Ayittey recruited a witness, Richard Asomaning, over the phone for the kidnapping scheme. Asomaning feigned interest and forwarded copies of his driver’s license and Ghana card, as well as those of another recruit, Peter Ofoe Agbovie, to Ayittey.
The witnesses then requested a meeting with Ayittey to learn about their intended victims, Mr. Joseph K. Horgle and his daughter Elinam. Ayittey communicated with the witnesses only over the phone, and a WhatsApp group platform was created for the operation.
Ayittey provided funds to Asomaning to begin surveillance on the victims, and initial photographs of the company’s premises were taken and sent to Ayittey.
Agbovie was tasked with renting a vehicle, while Ayittey claimed he would procure guns for the operation. Ayittey was arrested on August 9, 2022, and admitted to the offense, implicating Wang Liang in engineering the kidnapping.
Investigations revealed that Ayittey had worked for the intended victim’s company and knew the former boss had the financial capacity to pay any ransom.
The court found Ayittey guilty of the offense, which involved a plot to kidnap the owner of J. K. Horgle Transport and Company Limited and his daughter for ransom.