The Minister of the Interior Henry Quartey, has been summoned to brief Parliament on Wednesday, 26 June, on measures being taken by the government to address recent serial killings of private security personnel in Bole and Wa in the Upper West Region.
Andrew Amoako Asiamah, the Second Deputy Speaker, Tuesday (18 June), gave the directive, when he presided over the House, during which Yusif Sulemana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole raised the issue on the floor of the House.
“Mr Speaker, I want to report to you that the people of Bole are living in fear, between May and June, three people lost their lives through serial killings. And this morning I also read or watched TV and also heard that two people have been murdered in a very similar manner in Wa,” Sulemana said.
He said the Minister of Interior last week sent some men and women to Bole to help curb this situation, however, he thought that much more was needed to be able to address the situation.
“Mr Speaker, the murderers are targeting watchmen, and so there is a watchman lying, taking care of whatever he is supposed to take care of, and then a stone or block is used in hitting his head and killing the person instantly,” he stated.
Sulemana said within this short period, three people had been killed and even before that, there were serial killings taking different forms and that he thought that this was an important matter; saying “and I want to draw your attention to it, so that the Interior Minister can come to this House and brief us, and give some hope to those areas that are affected”.
Sulemana said last month for instance, he decided to take a walk in the Bole township and by 2030 hours, everybody was asleep; adding that “self-imposed curfew. Mr Speaker, we cannot continue in this manner”.
He, through the Speaker, appealed to the Minister of Interior to do more to help address the situation.
He said three days ago, former President John Dramani Mahama while in Bole had to go to the police station to encourage the officers to do their best.
Sulemana said, he (Sulemana) interacted with the police, and they told him that in 2021, the policemen were 71, but currently the number had reduced to about 50, and that many more were waiting to go because they had received some transfer approvals.
He appealed to the Interior Minister to update the House on the number of permanent Police officers currently at post in Bole.
On his part, Dr Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, NDC MP for Wa Central, said a dubious trend was taking place, which had resulted in the deaths of innocent people, security guards who were on duty at nights, who were fathers and heads of families, trying to earn something for their lives.
He recalled that last year, nine people were killed in this manner in Wa Central.
He noted that the Police, since last year, had indicated that there were some investigations going on, but before they even got the results of the investigations, some other killings happened again in Bole.
He said the return to Wa just happened today with two people killed at a stretch.
“Mr Speaker, I think that the Police must sit up, and I also think that some further and quality investigations have to happen into this matter. We are worried about the situation; we are worried that lives are lost…” Dr Pelpuo said.
He urged the Police to be up and doing to bring the perpetrators of crimes to book.
