Govt doing all to unravel serial killing mystery – Adamafio
Consider parliamentary work as of primary importance - MPs told
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2000
Nii Okaija Adamafio, Minister of
the Interior, told Parliament on Wednesday that the government has stirred
state investigation machinery into action since the beginning of the serial
killings of women in 1998 in parts of Accra.
Nii Okaija said investigations are
painstakingly continuing and that last year, an inter-agency task force was set
up to track down the culprits involved in the killings.
The minister, who was making a
statement on the murders, announced that the security agencies had made a
number of arrests as a result of public spiritedness and co-operation.
He said, however, that seven of
the suspects who were arrested had been granted bail on the advice of the
Attorney-General's Department, which wanted investigations conducted on further
aspects of the case.
Five others who were arraigned at
the court on a charge of abduction and attempted murder are also currently on
bail.
"Mr Speaker, from the
foregoing, it is evident that we are strenuously pursuing this matter but, more
importantly, there is the urgent and compelling need for us as a nation to
decisively deal with this problem once and for all."
In this regard, Nii Okaija said
the National Security Council had taken a number of measures to address the
problem, adding that the inter-agency task force had been expanded to include
representation from the Ghana branch of the International Federation of Women
Lawyers (FIDA) and religious bodies.
Special arrangements have also
been made to provide additional logistics for the security agencies to
facilitate investigations into the murders while the public and neighbourhood
watch committees have also been urged to be more vigilant by reporting unusual
events.
The Minister emphasised that
investigations of serial killings take some time to unravel and called for more
public co-operation.
"Mr speaker, on many occasions
we have stated that combating crime is a shared responsibility. It is the
collaborative effort of the police and the public. This is the prevailing
phenomenon world-wide," he said.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2000
Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday urged MPs to consider their parliamentary work as of primary importance, saying, "you are paid as MPs and not as candidates of your various political parties".
Expressing concern about the poor attendance by Members, especially during this second meeting of the House, Mr Justice Annan's told the legislators that they should be seen to be honouring their parliamentary responsibilities and said " as long as we have agreed to commence business at 10 a.m., I will hold you to that".
When the Speaker entered the chamber at 10:00 hours, there were not more than 20 MPs present.
Members shared the concern of the Speaker but some attributed the poor attendance to the fact that this is an election year and that MPs seeking re-election to parliament have to be at every event in their constituencies.
Dr Kwabena Adjei, the Leader of the House blamed the poor attendance on the inability of the political parties to expedite the selection of their parliamentary candidates to assuage the anxieties of the sitting MPs.
He noted that the struggle to become MPs threatens the sustainability of the country's political system.
Dr Adjei, therefore, requested the Speaker to write to the various political parties to expedite action on the nomination of their parliamentary candidates to enable Members to pay more attention to the work of the House.
But the Speaker explained that his office does not deal directly with the political parties in this regard and urged the party Whips to take up the matter.
GRi../