Security Expert Blames Intelligence Failure For Takoradi Girls ‘Confusion’

A security analyst at the Africa Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (ACSIS), Paul Boateng, has blamed Intelligence failures on the part of security agencies in the country for the confusion that has greeted the DNA test results for the four Takoradi missing girls.

The girls were reportedly kidnapped and not seen for months before the Ghana Police Service on Monday, September 16, 2019, confirmed that they were ‘murdered.’

The Ag. Inspector of General of Police, Samuel Oppong Boanuah, who addressed the media, disclosed that the results of the DNA test on remains retrieved in Takoradi have been relayed to the families along with condolences.

The Police had conducted a DNA test after it discovered human remains suspected to belong to the four girls.

But the families of the girls have called for foreign investigators to help in unravelling the truth in the alleged murder of the girls.

They have apparently rejected the DNA report from the Ghana Police Service confirming that the girls were killed after being kidnapped.

The convener of the group, John Entsie, in an address to the media, said, the police were trying to cover up their shame by peddling falsehood with regards to the alleged deaths of the four missing Takoradi girls.

According to him, “for the police to come and tell us that they discovered other bones which they suspect to be the girls, we see it as a fallacy, we see it as a cock and bull story to cover up their shame.”

“We will not accept the DNA test. We are demanding that a new forensic private investigators should come in to conduct this test,” he said.

He added that “we will like foreign entities to take part in this because we don't trust the Ghana Police, we don't trust the Commander in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. Their inactions prove to us that ballot boxes are valuable to them than human lives.”

But Mr. Boateng believes intelligence failures is to blamed for what has happened regarding the whereabouts and alleged murders of the girls.

He said ” th reasons for intelligence failures usually do not arise from a lack of information but rather a lack of understanding the meanings of available information and poor evaluation of new and unfamiliar threats, (Kidnapping Taadi4).”

“GPS’ earlier finding/ result was a wrong presentation of the threats(Kidnappings) meaning, organizational failures, and difficulties in the application of the ‘Modern Intelligence Analysis’ (MIA),” he said.

The girls Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21, Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie, 18; Ruth Love Quayson 18, and Ruth Abeka were kidnapped over a year ago by some suspected Nigerian kidnappers.

The main suspect is a 28-year old Nigerian named Samuel Udoetuk Wills.

He was arrested in the Western region, while another suspect, John Orji was arrested at the Aflao border.

The third, only known as Chika was arrested in Nigeria.

BY Melvin Tarlue