File Photo: 7 security guards are missing in the region
As part of efforts to curb the recent serial killings and disappearance of people in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has issued a raft of measures including the banning of the operations of tricycles in the town beyond 9:pm and the arrest and prosecution of owners of unregistered motorbikes.
"Unregistered motorcycles within the Wa Municipality shall be arrested and prosecuted. All tricycles must halt movement or operations within the municipality at 9 pm and resume operations at 5 am," the directive read in part.
Other measures include: formation of neighborhood watchdog committees in the communities under the supervision of the Police, a call on landlords to undertake background checks on their tenants particularly foreigners, before hiring them their places.
While calling on the Municipal Assembly and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to take inventory of all hotels and guest houses within the town, the council also charged the Police to enhance their patrols and visibility across the municipality to help in the fight against crime.
In furtherance, the release also encouraged institutions and businesses to install CCTV cameras and improve lighting at their outfits and charged the GIS to furnish the Municipal Assembly with an updated information on all registered foreigners doing business within the Wa Municipality. The directives by the REGSEC that were arrived at during a meeting on Wednesday, September 14, said:
"Unregistered motorcycles within the Wa Municipality shall be arrested and prosecuted. The Regional Security Council encourages the formation of Community or Neighbourhood Watchdog Committees with the aid of Assembly Members within their
respective jurisdiction and under the supervision of the Ghana Police Service. The members of these watchdog committees shall be profiled, trained, and licensed by the Ghana Police Service to avoid abuse of the system."
"Landlords within the municipality must inspect resident permits of tenants not of Ghanaian origin. The municipal assembly must invite all landlords to a meeting. It is unacceptable for any landlord to rent accommodation to a tenant without knowing the tenant's background. It is against the law to allow as many as five people in a single room. The Ghana Immigration Service and The Wa Municipal Assembly must take an inventory of all hotels and guest houses within the municipality. The police command must intensify police patrols and visibility in the municipality."
"All tricycles must halt movement or operations within the municipality at 9 pm and resume operations at 5 am. All institutions and workplaces are encouraged to install CCTV cameras within their compounds and improve their lighting. The Ghana Immigration Service should furnish the Wa Municipal Assembly with updated information on all registered foreigners residing and doing business in the municipality. The public is encouraged to provide security agencies with vital information to help unravel these unfortunate incidents."
This was contained in a September 15, 2022, press release authored by the Chair of REGSEC who is also the Regional Minister - Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih.
The release noted that even though investigations were ongoing to unravel the murders and disappearance of people, the council called for increased cooperation among the various security agencies to weather the storm.
The council also calls on the inhabitants to volunteer information of any suspicious characters or activities to the security agencies to help them solve the unfortunate serial killings in the municipality.
Residents of the Wa Municipality have been living in fear for months now, after the murder and disappearance of six people within the space of five months in the municipality, with most of the victims being night security guards.
The modus operandi of the murderers is to take out some organs out of the stomach of their victim and then bury the body in a shallow grave in what appears to be ritual killings.
The Police who are investigating the murders are yet to arrest a single suspect in connection with the killings, thereby making residents live with their hearts in their mouths.