There has been a renewed call by many Ghanaians for the Ghana Police Service to up their game in bringing closure to the numerous unsolved killings that have occurred in the country in recent past, to restore a sense of security among the citizenry.
The calls come days after the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, was killed in cold blood by some unknown assailants.
Between January 2014 and now, a spate of killings has occurred across the length and breadth of the country.
The manner in which the assailants carried out their attacks in each instant has left many worried that we could have a scary phenomenon of contract killing on our hands.
What is more puzzling is that the mystery surrounding these deaths has since eluded the police, who are still trailing for leads.
In January 2015, President John Mahama, alarmed at the rampant rate of killings, instructed the Inspector-General Police (IGP) to urgently resolve all outstanding murder cases in the country, but that doesn’t seem to come easy for the Police Service.
“We want to stop this kind of impunity; it’s becoming too rampant”, the President lamented.
On March 13, 2014, manager of hiplife artiste Kwaw Kese, Fennec Okyere was found dead at his Manet Gardens residence. According to reports, he was shot dead by some unknown assailants.
Although some individuals were invited by the police for questioning in relation to the death, nothing substantial was found, and till date, no arrests have been made.
This incident was followed by the killing of the paramount chief of Bimbilla in the Nanumba North District of the Northern Region, Naa Dasana Abdulai Andani II, who was also murdered together with five of his subjects by unidentified gunmen in June 2014.
In September 2015, Nana Adusa Gyapong, the chief of Atwima Koforidua in the Ashanti Region, was gunned down by unknown assailants.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Nkwanta South in the Volta Region, Peter Kojo Penyeso, was also shot dead by unidentified gunmen while he was driving home.
Late last year, a 50-year-old businessman, Alhaji Abdullah Alidu, was shot dead by unknown assailants outside his home at TUC, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
Alhaji Abdullah Alidu was found dead in a pool of blood with bullet holes in his head and belly.
Security experts have, however, warned that if nothing is done to curb the rampant nature of the killings, it could soon be a phenomenon that would gravely affect the security of the state.
The Executive Director of the West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP) had earlier called for assertive action by the police to prevent criminal activity, especially targeted killings in the country.
Emmanuel Bombande warned that if such an action is not taken, “it can embolden criminals to believe they can engage in such criminal acts and not be apprehended.”
