Support For the Family of Ghanaian Observer Samuel Abayateye

The Association Of Professional Observers is opening this campaign to generate donations for the support of the family of Samuel Abayateye, a 38 tear old Ghanian Fisheries Observer who was killed in the course of his duties while onboard a tuna vessel operating in the Western Atlantic Ocean. Samuel Abayateye was assigned to Marine 707, a Ghana-flagged vessel owned and operated by a South Korean company, World Marine Co. Ltd., The vessels home port was Tema, Ghana. Samuel was reported missing from the vessel, while offshore on October 29, 2023. Miraculously, his body washed up on the beach six weeks later on December 9, 2023. He was found near his family's village lagoon at Anyamam, Ghana, He was decapitated, and missing his arms and toes. He was able to be identified by his brother Yohane, who recognized a distinctive mark on the chest of the body and a familiar shirt that remained on it. The Ghanaian police recovered Samuels body and currently retain it in Accra. A DNA sample was taken for positive identification, but the results have not yet been released by the Ghanian police for unknown reasons.

Samuel Left behind a wife and two small boys, aged 7 and 4 years old, in the fishing village of Anyamam. His widow, Hagar Kudzorzdi Abayateye is a seamstress, who aspires to open her own shop to support her family . Samuel was the first person to go to college in his family and opened a school prior to becoming a fisheries observer for the government of Ghana. There are many questions not yet answered in Samuels death. Obstructions have developed over the ultimate responsibility of his untimely demise. The Mongabay, an environmental news provider, has published two articles covering the disappearance and death of Samuel Abayateye while deployed as a fisheries observer. links to these articles are attached.

Samuel is not the first Ghanian observer to disappear or die while deployed. Emmanuel Essien disappeared from a Ghanian tuna vessel in 2019, his body has never been found and no official explanation for his loss has been published. Many other Observers have perished at sea in countries around the world. It is a demanding and dangerous occupation with little direct support from the governments that employ them, and also one that does not offer much support to their families if they die or are murdered while deployed. Justice for observers who are killed or disappear seems to be non existent. This is a horrible and shameful situation that must be tolerated no longer by observers, observer's families, fisheries managers, and the concerned public.

The Association of Professional Observers would like to raise $6000 USD for the immediate support of Samuel Abayateye's widow and young sons. The funds raised will be deposited in the account of his widow Hagar Kudzorzdi Abayateye, Any funds raised will be used for the maintenance of her household, the purchase of a sewing machine and materials for her emergent seamstress shop, and also the employment of an attorney to pursue both the release of the DNA results from the Ghanian police as well as full justice and official explanation for his untimely and unexplained death. Any help you can provide through this campaign is greatly appreciated and much needed by Samuel Abayateye's family.

https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/fisheries-observer-turns-up-dead-in-latest-incident-in-ghana-waters

https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/no-answers-for-ghanaian-fishery-observers-family-months-after-suspected-death

https://youtu.be/PREFEsCuCJY