General News of Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2019-09-18Police have nothing to hide in Takoradi girls case - Dr Afoakwa
play videoDr. Richmond Afoakwa, Head of the Forensic Sciences Department at the University of Cape Coast
Head of the Forensic Sciences Department at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Richmond Afoakwa says the Ghana Police Service is honest with their verdict in the missing Takoradi girls’ case.
According to Dr Afoakwa, who was speaking on PM Express on Joy News said the police wouldn’t have given out the information they did if they wanted
Read full articleto hide something.
“If the police had something to hide, they won’t come out and say that these remains we found are those of the girls… once you make that statement you give the family members the power to come for the human remains and to their own investigation,” he stated
After all four girls going missing for almost a year, the acting Inspector General of Police, James Oppong Boanuh, on Monday announced to Ghanaians that the human remains retrieved from suspect, Samuel Udoetuk Wills’ residence, have been confirmed by DNA tests to be those of Priscilla Blessing Bentum, Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie, Ruth Love Quayson and Ruth Abeka
Dr Afoakwa reacting to this on JoyNews’ ‘PM Express, explained that the police would be jeopardizing itself at this point if it is hiding anything as the families will be able to find out if they decide to carry out forensic tests on their own before burying the remains.
Again, he opined that the police coming out to put the report bear, will give the families boldness and put their mind at ease in order to go for the skeletal remains and give their children a befitting burial.
Speaking as a DNA analyst, Dr Afoakwa was of the view that if the police was not confident in the results, they wouldn’t have taken the risk to announce their findings.
“If indeed they have anything to hide the results they would give us is the remains we found are not the girls so we are going to keep on looking for the girls and after seven years we don’t find them, the girls are pronounced dead, the docket is closed and we move on,” he stated.
He also encouraged the families of the four girls to also conduct their own examination to clear all doubts regarding the IGP’s pronouncement since they have the right to the mortal remains.
“At this point they should, so that everybody will be settled, we can’t keep holding the whole nation to ransom in this way, we have to move on,” he stressed.
