Police are obliged to release the remains of Tadi girls to their families - Francis Sosu

Lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu says the Ghana Police Service are obliged to release the remains of the Takoradi girls to the families for burial.

According to Lawyer Francis Sosu the police have no excuse not to release the bodies to the families.

Speaking on Citi FM's Eye Witness News, Francis Sosu explained that the statement of the police that the remains of the girls will be used as evidence in the ongoing trial cannot be true because they have other means to keep record of the remains as done in most murder cases where the bodies are buried long before the trial ends.

"Yes the police is definitely under obligation to make the bodies available to the families, when someone dies the body belongs to the family, it is only when the family cannot be traced that the police can on their own either bury those bodies as in mass burial or anything of that sought, but in this case when the family is demanding or are willing to have the body so that they can bury the body, I think that they are under obligation to make the body available to the family."

"It has never been the case that bodies are kept at police stations for purposes of evidence in court, at the very best you can take videos of that body, you can take pictures and you can do any form of recording of that body and release the body to the family, in all murder trial that has been the case, in cases where families of deceased can be identified the body will be released to them and the body is buried way before even the trial ends but at least we have video evidence, pictures that will be able to assist the police during the trial so that cannot be an excuse for police not to release the body to the family."

Police makes U-turn on Takoradi girls DNA saga

Families of three of the Takoradi girls who were declared dead say the police have made a U-turn on the DNA saga.

The families say the police who stated earlier that they were willing to release the human parts of the dead girls to the families to carry out an independent DNA test have now backtracked on that.

A sister to one of the girls, Rebecca Quayson, said apart from being refused the remains, the families have also been refused hard copies of the initial police forensic results that confirmed the deaths of the girls, that had been missing for over a year.

she said the families cannot have closure until they independently conduct DNA tests to corroborate or dispute the police report.

“We are not happy because the IGP held a press conference telling Ghanaians that if the family wanted a second opinion, he was ready to release the bones. But it is a different story now.”

She said three families went to the Western Region police command and requested for the remains for “a second opinion and maybe burial.”

“But they are telling us that it is evidence and they have to keep it and they have to guard it for security reasons and all that,” she recounted

The families have also hinted that they will petition the IGP by Monday to get the concerns addressed.