The crime wave in the country is on the ascendency in recent times with a number of armed robberies and murders being experienced in most communities across the country.  Hardly a day passes with the country not recording some form of robberies involving mostly the youth.

It appears that the security network in the country continues to be weak, hence the robbers try to capitalise on the situation to terrorise innocent and defenceless citizens and rob them of their personal belongings.

FREQUENT KILLINGS OF INNOCENT CHILDREN FOR RITUALS

Apart from these robberies, innocent people, especially children are being killed indiscriminately either for ritual purposes or their body parts being traded for reasons best known to the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.  We hear of reports trending on social media about body parts being used by chop bar operators to prepare food for customers without their knowledge.

Ritual murders which were things of the past seem to be rearing their ugly heads in recent times in this country.  We heard of the Kasoa ritual murder in the Central Region on April 3, 2021, in which a 10-year-old boy was allegedly murdered by two suspected teenagers at a place known as Coca Cola near Lamptey Mills.  According to reports the deceased, identified as Ishmael Mensah, was lured to an uncompleted building and murdered by the two suspected teenagers.  That case is still pending before the law courts.

THE INFAMOUS CASE OF KOFI KYINTO AND OTHER MURDERS

The infamous case in the mid 1980s of a nine-year-old boy Kofi Kyinto who was beheaded by his uncle for ritual purpose as well as many ritual murder cases recorded in the western part of the country are still fresh in our minds.  One cannot lose sight of Sefwi Boako, a farming community in the Sefwi Wiawso municipality of the Western Region where in May 2015, suspected cases of three people including an eight-year-old girl were murdered in cold blood for ritual purposes.  Some vital parts of their bodies were missing when they were discovered.

Indeed, those frequent murders during that period, put the Sefwi area in a negative lime light and earned it a bad name as haven for ritual murders.  Those from Sefwi area during that time, did not want to be associated with the town because of the negative development in the area.  That was the period when the country, especially the western part was viewed internationally as not safe for habitation.  However, with time, that negative viewpoint was erased and since then, Ghana has been an enviable destination of foreigners as they travel regularly to the country to transact business, especially in the Sefwi area which is noted for cocoa, timber and other mineral resources.

BACK TO PRIMITIVE YEARS

It appears that this country is again descending into that primitive years when people especially the youth were killed for ritual purposes by people who were interested in making quick money out of that wicked and callous practices.

The recent murder case at Abesim in the Bono Region of the country involving a 28-year-old man, Richard Appiah which has been a major topic for discussions in the media, has sent shivers down the spines of Ghanaians.   The case is currently pending before the Kaneshie District Court in Accra.

The accused was alleged to have murdered Louis Agyeman and Stephen Boateng and  buried some of the body parts at a farm.  The court presided over by Madam Ama Adomako Kwakye, did not take the plea of the accused who had no legal representation when he appeared before it on September 15, 2021.

BACKGROUND OF ABESIM MURDER CASE

A police incident report published online revealed that the accused on Friday, August 20, went out with his stepfather’s son and never returned.  He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of knowing the whereabouts of the deceased.

The police together with the complainant and the accused proceeded to the house where the accused resides at Alaska Abesim.  Suprisingly, police found the deceased lying in a supine position in one of the rooms.  The Crime Scene Management team led by the Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Kenedy Edusei and the Sunyani District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police Francis Humado conducted a thorough search in the house.  The search unveiled another dead body having been cut into pieces and kept in a double door fridge in one of the rooms.  Meanwhile, three people have been arrested in connection with the case.

GHANAIANS DEMAND THOROUGH INVESTIGATIONS

This is a sensitive case which should not be allowed to die prematurely and we urge the police to do a thorough investigation into the case and unravel the full circumstances and arrest all those involved in the case for the law to take its course.  The public will be interested to know what the body parts being kept in the fridge are meant for because it seems cruel to store these items in the freezer.  Besides, the background of the suspects should be investigated to know whether they are involved in this illegal business.

This is a worrying signal for this country as the outside world will think negative about Ghana and, therefore, will reconsider decisions of doing brisk business in a country where human’s are killed and body parts kept in fridges for other things.

COUNTRY’S IMAGE BEING DENTED

The future of this country and the image are not anything good to write about because of the get-rich-quick attitude of our youth.  They are not ready to engage in meaningful work to make earns meet.  They are only interested in engaging in all forms of dirty and obnoxious practices to make a living.  They can go at length to sacrifice lives if that can make them survive and that is dangerous for our country.  It is a fact that the cost of living in this country is difficult or hard and people especially the youth are struggling it out to fend for themselves and their families.  However, that should not be the reason innocent lives should be sacrificed to make a living.

CAUTION TO PATRONS OF FOOD JOINTS

This particular incident must serve as a caution and a guide to people who patronise food joints and chop bars in the country.  Operators of some of these joints are capable of using all kinds of meat including human parts to prepare food for their patrons.  We need to pay particular attention and  be conscious of our eating joints and chop bars in order to avoid some of these wicked and callous behaviours from operators of these chop bars as well as these food vendors.

Indeed, the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), COP George Akuffo Dampare has a difficult task to accomplish in order to stem the tide of this crime wave in our country.  However, knowing the calibre of person he is and with the support from his team of officers and the public in general, he will be able to accomplish that task.  We wish him all the best.

By Charles Neequaye

Contact email/WhatsApp of author:

ataani2000@yahoo.com

                                  0277753946/0248933366