German woman kidnapped in Ghana freed

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has freed a German woman who was lured into Ghana and kidnapped. The kidnappers initially demanded 140, 000 Euros ransom for her release.

The woman, 58-year-old Sonja Kaizer was freed Tuesday afternoon, January 13, 2009 by the BNI and all the eight kidnappers were arrested in a house at Taifa, a suburb of Accra.

A Joy News bulletin monitored by ghanabusinessnews.com says the woman met someone on the internet who introduced himself to her as Alvin Walker, a British national.

The man lured the woman into Ghana, and when she arrived on January 2, 2009, she was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded an initial ransom of 140,000 Euros for her release. In their negotiations with the victim's son, they eventually reduced the ransom to 60,000 Euros.

The son who was not named, reported the matter to the German Embassy in Accra.

One of the suspects, Roland Gyan told Joy News that he had invited the woman to Ghana, but did not say why.

Kidnappings are not common in Ghana, but in the last six months, three have occurred.

In October 2008, an Isreali man in his sixties, Dror Weinstein was lured into Nigeria, brought to Ghana and kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded ransom for his release, changing the figures as time went on.

While the victim's family and business partner were negotiating with the kidnappers, he was reportedly rescued by Ghanaian and Israeli security operatives. He has since returned to Israel.

By Emmanual K. Dogbevi