Features
Is Ghana nurturing criminals and cannibals?
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:
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Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
