General News of Sunday, 14 September 2008

Source: GNA

Court remands father over attempted sale of daughter

Hohoe, Sept 14 GNA-Blesa Kegbameni, 28, a Bassare from the Republic of Togo has been remanded into prison custody by an Nkwanta Magistrates' court for attempting to sell his eight-year old daughter for GH¢ 50,000.

His accomplice Kadjabie Badaheo, 30 year-old Ghanaian farmer is on the run. Kegbameni, whose plea was not taken, would return to court on September 23, this year.

Mr. Jonathan Cudjoe, Police Inspector prosecuting told the court, chaired by Mr Stanislaus Amanoipo that, Kegbameni brought his daughter to Ghana with the intention of offering her for sale to any prospective buyer. He said on September 7, an undercover Policeman, who posed as an "Alhaji" met Kegbameni and his accomplice at the Nkwanta Divinity Hotel to bargain over the selling price.

Mr Cudjoe said the undercover Policeman Alhaji offered to buy the victim at GH¢ 20,000 but Kegbameni insisted that he paid GH¢ 48,000.

He said in the process of the bargain, the undercover Policeman opened his briefcase to expose the money in it to the elation of Kegbameni who saw the prospect of becoming a millionaire. Mr Cudjoe said Policemen who were detailed around the hotel then rushed into the hotel and arrested Kegbameni but Badaheo managed to escape. Kegbameni, a father of two, said he would have used the money from the sale of his daughter to expand his farm and buy a pick-up.