Wa residents stage demo against alleged killing of 13 in 3 years in municipality

 Residents of Wa in the Upper West Region last Saturday staged a peaceful demonstration to express their displeasure over alleged killings of some 13 people including two security guards over the last three years in the Wa Municipality.

The protestors clad in red attire and carrying placards with the descriptions, “we have nowhere to go, Ghana is all we have, every life matters, we want justice, res­idents are living in fear, we need answers from authorities,” among others.

Presenting a petition to the Upper West Regional Coordinat­ing Director, Mr Peter Maala, the Convener, Mr Morris Banaam­wine, indicated that the protest was aimed at drawing the atten­tion of the government to the serial killings in the Wa Township and to demand swift action from the authorities to help restore peace and hope among residents. “so many lives has been lost and we have not seen anything, is it because we are poor, if the au­thorities do not react on the sit­uation, we will fight for our self, we believe and trust in the law but the law is failing us, enough is enough,” he said.

According to him, the residents were agitated by the inaction and silence of the security services re­garding these murder which had left residents living in fear.

“We are calling on the govern­ment to as a matter of urgency to look into this matters and ensure that the perpetrators are appre­hended and prosecuted in order to bring peace among the people of Wa and its environments to go about their daily activities without any fear that their lives are not safe.”

Mr Banaamwine said when the killings started in 2022, a com­mittee was set up by the former Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, and authorities from the security services to investigate the incident into details, but has since not made to the public any findings.

“A situation that led or have seen the murder of about 13 peo­ple would be allowed to resurface or show its ugly heads again, we are not by this pointing accus­ing fingers at the authorities or duty-bearers who are responsible for the safety of citizens but just wondering why this wicked act is still perpetuated against innocent civilians after we were made to believe that measures were been done to stop this distasteful act.”

He therefore called on the government to form a commit­tee with the security personnel including the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed Forces to spearhead the investigation of the serial killings.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wa Central, Dr Rashid Pelpuo, an­nounced a GH¢100,000 bounty for anyone who provides infor­mation for the arrest of those responsible for the recent killings in Wa.

The MP also expressed disap­pointment over the prolonged silence of the police regarding the investigation of the serial killings in Wa, highlighting the impact the situation has had on the people of Wa.

 FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA