Two Years of Uncertainty for Family of Missing Ghanaian Fisheries Observer
It has been two years since Samuel Abayateye, a Ghanaian fisheries observer, went missing from the fishing boat Marine 707, and his family is still awaiting answers from the Ghanaian authorities.
Abayateye was assigned to monitor the Ghana-flagged pole-and-line tuna-fishing vessel, owned and operated by World Marine Company Ltd. He was reported missing on October, and since then, his family and various organizations, including the Fisheries Alliance, have been seeking information about his fate.
The family, along with Ghanaian NGO the Fisheries Alliance and other international organizations, have repeatedly asked the Ghanaian government for answers about Abayateye’s fate, to no avail.
- A DNA test was conducted on a body that washed up near the family home shortly after Abayateye's disappearance, but the results have not been shared with his family.
- Mongabay reached out to the Ghanaian police for details about the case but did not receive a response.
Abayateye, a father of two, remains missing, and his family continues to seek closure.
Author's note: The case of Samuel Abayateye's disappearance remains unsolved.