Ghanaian migrants kidnapped in Libya for $100, 000 ransom

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At least two Ghanaian migrants have been abducted by suspected militiamen in Libya, Dailymailgh.com’s investigations have revealed.

They are reportedly part of over a 100 African multinationals en route to Europe to seek greener pastures.

A video obtained by DailMailGH.com shows two of the victims – Mutasiru Yahaya, and another, Abdul Latif— both from the Upper West Region of Ghana, some 746km drive from the capital Accra, engaging in what appears to be an interview session with their captors.

The shocking eight-second video also shows horrifying signs of torture with sustained multiple bruises as both men were engaged in an identification spree.

Some of the migrants were spotted in the video crouch on the ground in a sparse concrete room as they await their fate.

Over $100,000 ransom

When contacted, brother of Mutasiru Yahaya told DailyMailGh that the family is in grief and devastated.

Danaah Lukman, 32, who lives in Kataa in the Wa East District, confirmed that his 23-year-old brother is an old student of Daffiama Senior High School and engaged in illegal mining after completing school in 2015.

“My attention was drawn to the video by one of my brothers who lived nearby. I saw my brother in the video who had sustained some injuries… Shockingly, I had never seen him for the past three weeks. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 150,000 Libya Dinars ($106, 000) when I contacted them.

“I had spoken to my brother for about five times now. The family is very helpless and don’t know what to do. His twin brother has threatened to commit suicide over the development,” tearful Lukman told DailyMailGH, adding that he has since reported the matter to the police and officials of Ghana’s Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

Meanwhile, the Yirimambo Advocacy Group, a local NGO in the Upper West region is engaging the family over the development.

“We are in touch with the family to see how we can help our brothers. The money is huge so we want to engage the family to see how best we can help. The most important thing is the lives of these Ghanaians. From the look of things there may be other victims who are part of this catastrophe”, Ibrahim Atawuhali, a member of the group said.

Illegal Migration on the rise?

The development comes after two teenagers were arrested for attempting to stowaway earlier this week.

The two aged 15 and 16 years were reportedly found hiding in one of the compartments of the MSC Dymphia vessel when the crew went round on a routine check.

As well as mass killings, torture, sexual violence, and exploitation, kidnapping for extortion is one of the many risks faced by migrants who rely on smugglers to cross borders.

Speech Forces, a Non-Governmental Organization wants government and the Ghanaian society in general to intensify education as illegal migration increases.

“A country like Libya is very unstable and in such cases of kidnappings families of these victims have no choice than to wire such huge amounts to their captors,” Eric Asamoah Awuah, Founder and Lead for Speech Forces said.

“It is important to also note that creating more opportunities for the youth could minimize such risks,” he added.

Security agencies in Ghana are yet to officially comment on the case.

By J. Ofori, Daily Mail GH