Correspondence from the Upper West Region
Probe into recent serial killings in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region appears to have received a major boost after Police apprehended a prime suspect on Monday, September 19.
The arrest of Kankani Adongo was said to have taken place through the collaboration of the locals and the Police at Bamahu, a community in the municipality.
The locals who reportedly spotted the suspect, apprehended him and then took him to the palace of the Paramount Chief of the Wala Traditional Area who in turn informed the Police about the arrest of the suspect.
Head of the Public Affairs unit of the Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Gideon Ohene Boateng in a statement on Monday said: “The Police have arrested one person believed to be the prime suspect behind the Wa murder case.
“Suspect Kankani Adongo, was arrested on 19th September, 2022 at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa after extensive collaboration between the Police and community search parties.
“Suspect is in custody and will be arraigned before the court to face justice,” the statement read in part.
Adongo was said to have been found with some clothes belonging to some of the missing persons in his possession.
The Police had a hectic time in their attempt to take the suspect to the Police station due to the resistance of the crowd that had amassed outside the palace who wanted him handed over for instant justice.
Some eyewitnesses who spoke to GhanaWeb said they were subjected to some beatings in the hands of the Police in order to be able to whisk the suspect away, a move they were also trying to thwart.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare who stormed the region today addressing the Press, reiterated the Police’s commitment in safeguarding the peace of the area adding that, the investigations were being carried out alongside other security agencies.
“We want to assure you that we’ll do all what we can to ensure that Wa Municipality and its environs is peaceful for all of you. The Police as the lead internal security agency, is committed, very committed in working with the other security agencies that we’re already working with on the ground because the REGSEC includes all the security agencies on the ground and they’re the people who have been working on it until we also brought people from outside to come and support them. So all the security agencies are already part of the work we are doing.”
Hon. Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister and Member of Parliament for Nandom, while assuring that the security agencies were in control of the situation admonished the locals to limit their contribution of the investigations on providing relevant information to the Police rather than seeking to usurp the authority of the officers.
“The security agencies, the Ghana Police is in control of the situation. They, led by the IGP will investigate whatever has happened in the past and all. What I’m assuring the Wa Naa is that, the security agencies so far are up to the task and we believe we’ll support them to do their work. It’s in their domain of investigating crime.
“But I did make it clear that in all these matters, the policy is for the rule of law to be enforced. If you have an information, you surrender and give it to the security agencies to use.
“You do not resort to self-help or you usurp the role of the security agencies. That we have asked the Chief to thank the community for their passion to help, for the information that they have been giving and continue to give.
“They would leave the real work to the Police. Only give them the information, don’t attack anybody, because if you attack anybody, you yourself will be a subject of investigations,” the minister warned.
