Crown jewels belonging to the King of the Akan people in Ghana have reportedly been stolen from a hotel in the Norwegian capital.
Officials from the Ghanaian embassy in Copenhagen, which also oversees Norway, reportedly contacted Norwegian police on Wednesday 10 October and confirmed that a piece of luggage belonging to King Otomfuo Osei Tutu II had been taken from the lobby of the Radisson Blu Plaza hotel in Oslo at around 13:00 local time.
On Friday, Inspector Marius Erlandssen confirmed the incident in a statement and told reporters on behalf of local police, “His [King Otomfuo Osei Tutu II] personal belongings have great value to him … [above all] sentimental value since they have been in his family for a long time,” the AFP reports. He added, “We have video footage of a man leaving [the hotel] with the suitcase. We are working on identifying him. There might be other people involved.”
Mr Erlandssen stopped short of saying that the bag contained jewellery, although the King’s secretary Kofi Owusu later told reporters, “Anyone who carries something of great personal value with them realises that it is a great loss if it’s stolen. And for those who know our tradition, it is clear that these crown jewels have a tremendous value.” The Ghanaian embassy later confirmed with reporters that the king’s jewellery was indeed in the suitcase.