Two Nigerians Arrested After Kidnapping 80-Year-Old US National In Ghana, Victim Rescued From Tema

• Two Nigerians have been arrested over the kidnapping of an 80-year-old US national who travelled to Ghana
• The suspects have been identified as Emmanuel Adedoyin Adebayor, a trader, and Esther Ogbonna, a beautician
• FBI agents at the American Embassy were said to have alerted police in Ghana to the US citizens's disappearance

Two Nigerians arrested over their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of an 80-year-old US national have been granted bail.

The suspects are Emmanuel Adedoyin Adebayor, a trader, and Esther Ogbonna, a beautician.

GNA reported that one other person, Dennis Poromo, is currently on the run.

Adebayor and Poromo have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime, kidnapping and stealing before a high court. Ogbonna was charged as an accomplice.

Adebayor and Ogbonna have pleaded not guilty and were granted GH¢500,000.

The Ghana Police Service's attention was drawn to the kidnapping on December 6, 2024, when the police received a complaint from the FBI agents at the American Embassy in Accra about the kidnapping of Diana Christine Nelson.

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After the 80-year-old went missing, police commenced investigations and were led to a hotel in Larteh Akwapim on December 8, 2024.

Officials received information that the victim and one of the accused were in the hotel. On December 11, 2024, Adebayor was arrested when he went to withdraw money using Nelson's debit card.

He then led the police to a house in Tema Community 11, where the victim was being held hostage in an apartment.

Adebayor reportedly posed as one Mark Hammond, a popular actor in the US, to lure the victim to Ghana in a seeming romance scam.

He had allegedly sent her a picture of a fake $25,000 cheque promising to take care of all her needs when she arrived in Accra.

The prosecution said all the victim's phones and her bank cards were seized from her and she was also threatened.

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According to the prosecution, Adebayor and Poromo also succeeded in withdrawing $15,821.70 from the victim’s bank and also demanded a ransom of $150,000.

Two Ghanaians sentenced over romance scam

YEN.com.gh also reported that two Ghanaians were sentenced over a romance scam in the US and ordered to pay over $500,000 each.

They reportedly targeted certain elderly US citizens through phone calls and online platforms, targeting those looking for love.

The suspects in the romance scam case were identified as Sadia Alhassan aged 35 and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, aged 39.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh