The latest incident involved the murder of a middle-aged driver, whose body was found with his throat slit behind a trailer.

This incident adds to a disturbing pattern of mysterious killings of security personnel, whose bodies have been discovered decapitated or with organs, including private parts, removed.

With a death toll of 17 in the past three years and no arrests made, the Wa Naa, speaking during Dr. Bawumia’s visit urged him to leverage his influence to address the situation and bring relief to the community.

“…As Chairman of the Ghana Police Council, we implore you to use your office to enhance the capacity of the Wa and Upper West Police Command. We urgently need additional men and logistics such as patrol vehicles to effectively address the current security challenges we face,” he appealed.

He expressed confidence that with the Vice President’s support, “we can strengthen the police presence in Wa to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people.”

Wa Naa also highlighted the measures being taken by the traditional authorities in collaboration with the Regional Security Council to apprehend the perpetrators.

In response, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia assured the people of Wa that they would benefit more under his presidency and appealed for their support in the upcoming election.

“We believe that the north and Wa state will benefit more from eight years of Bawumia presidency than four years of the other option,” he added.

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He said the recent killings in the region is a worrying situation.

This follows a growing sense of fear and panic at Dobile, a suburb of Wa in the Upper West after the murder of a middle-aged expectant driver in the area.

The deceased, Opoku Richard was found dead with his throat cut at the back of a trailer loaded with thousands of tonnes of salt that he accompanied to Wa.

The recent murder brings the number of persons killed in the municipality to 17 in the last three years.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Thursday, July 18, he said to help address the issue, a watch committee has been established.

“The Regional Security Council we have engaged ourselves and we have revised the security strategy within the municipality to include the volunteers in the various municipal areas and the watch committee established,” he said.

According to him, the watch committee which is accredited by the police will be patrolling the various electoral areas day and night.

He added that there is also a joint police and military patrol on the ground.

He reiterated that the murders in the region are a coordinated crime explaining that the perpetrators do not operate consistently, as the discoveries of the deceased bodies vary.

“This is a coordinated crime and the perpetrators have their way of operation,” he said.

According to Mr Moomin, while previous murders involved missing body parts, the recent killings have left the bodies intact, apart from the victims being slaughtered.

The MCE noted that the variation in the killings creates confusion regarding the motive behind them, as it often provides leads.

“Since the situations are not the same, it means that there has to be a lot of arrangement – looking at where to go and how to go about it,” he added.

Although the circumstances of his death is not known, the deceased conductor was found behind a trailer with his throat slit.

The unfortunate discovery brings the total number of unexplained Wa Killings to 17 within a relatively short time.

According to JoyNews’ sources, the deceased, Richard Opoku, had accompanied a trailer transporting salt to Wa with plans to unload the cargo upon arrival.

Upon arrival in Wa however, the deceased and the driver were unable to offload the salt, so they drove to the house of the salt owner.

The deceased was invited to spend the night in a room at the salt owner’s house. However, he chose to spend a few hours on the verandah before retiring to bed.

The following morning, traces of blood were seen on the veranda leading to his body being found behind the house.

Meanwhile, the police have initiated investigations and have arrested the owner of the salt and the driver of the trailer for further questioning.

The Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Rashid Pelpuo, has called on the various security services to intensify their efforts in searching for individuals responsible for these mysterious Wa killings.

“When the people go out to take the laws in their own hands, you can’t control them. It’s painful that you see these things happening but you don’t see the people. You can imagine people sitting on radio advertising that they have secret societies and they would be rich if they join.”

“They are openly advertising all these on radio and the police is comfortable with that. I don’t know anyone who will be advertising that they are going to make people rich and you see people lining up to see them and they are not being investigated. These are illegal organisations pushing people to bring illegal materials to help them become rich,” he said.

In recent times the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole, Yusif Sulemana has intensified calls for action against what he said is the ongoing serial killings in his constituency.

According to him, the Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, must put in place measures to end the Wa killings.

He stated that the Wa killings have gradually resulted in a self-imposed curfew, causing people to sleep early due to fear of possible attacks and killings.

“Last night, for instance, Mr Speaker, I decided to take a walk in the Bole Township and by 8:30 pm, almost everyone was asleep, self-imposed curfew. We cannot continue in this manner,” he protested.

Tahiru Issahaku Moomin noted that, this effort will ensure that such an occurrence never happens again in the municipality.

“What I can assure you is that the Regional Security Council together with the Municipal Security Council are taking some steps to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book,” he said.

On Tuesday, two night watchmen were murdered in the Wa municipality.

The two incidents were recorded at the Wa East Education Service office and the Wa Model JHS School.

According to Mr Moomin, the police and military personnel will be deployed to the Upper West regional capital to help unravel the mystery behind the killings.

He dismissed the possibility that foreigners are behind the crime, emphasising that no one should be ruled out, including the indigenes.

He explained that when all persons are targeted, it would prevent the restriction of frontiers of the investigation.

The Ghana Police Service has commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of two people in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.

Meanwhile, a security analyst, Dr Victor Doke is advocating for the use of community policing to address insecurity in communities.

According to him, during security crises, there are occasions when the police must temporarily withdraw, necessitating community efforts to maintain security.

Speaking on the JoyNews’ AM show, Mr Doke stated that “we should stick to the basics of community policing. If we have to now start and then engage the community, the elders, the chiefs, and get some volunteers who would go through some requisite training about basic security and enhancing the welfare of the community to do that, we need to do that”.

Dr Doke noted that when police officers withdraw, community members often experience insecurity, fearing that similar incidents could recur.

The security analyst recommended community policing and urged civil society to bolster efforts to educate residents about reporting suspicious activities.

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According to a principal state attorney at the Upper West regional office of the Attorney General’s Department, Saeed Abdu-Shakur, while eight of the suspects have been granted bail by the Wa Circuit Court, 10 are still on remand.

On Tuesday, the police in Wa recovered another male adult buried in a shallow grave at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa.

A statement issued by the Upper West regional police command said the yet to be identified body was uncovered by the special purpose intelligence and investigation team as part of their surveillance on Monday, September 19, 2022.

This brings the number of murdered victims to 11 in the last five months.

Meanwhile, the police have announced a GH¢100,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of any individual or group involved in the killings in Wa.

The police have also assured the residents of their safety as investigations are underway to apprehend the perpetrators.

The special purpose intelligence and investigation team recovered the body as part of their surveillance.

This comes after Police on Sunday discovered a human body in a shallow grave in Wa in the Upper West Region.

The body was later identified as a security man who went missing in the area.

Meanwhile, one suspect has been arrested in connection with the recent killings and disappearance in the municipality and its environs.

The suspect, Kankani Adongo, was arrested at Bamahu after extensive collaboration between the Police and community search parties.

He is currently in custody and assisting with investigations.

After the necessary crime scene examination, the body was removed and deposited at the Regional Hospital, Wa awaiting autopsy.

The statement from the Police says a pathologist from the Police Hospital is leading a team to Wa as part of investigations into the incidents.

Below is the statement from the police:

This follows the arrest of one person, Kankani Adongo on Monday, 19th September 2022.

Mr Adongo, according to the Police, is currently in custody assisting with the investigation.

But in a statement, the police indicated intelligence suggests that there may be more than one person involved in the killings.

Meanwhile, Police have pledged commitment to maintain law and order in the Wa Municipality and surrounding communities following the mysterious killings.

The Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and some members of the Police Management Board and the Regional Police Command on Monday embarked on a security tour in the area.

There is also currently a special purpose police intelligence and investigation team working with members of the community.

This comes on the back of reports of murders and the disappearance of indigenes in the past weeks.

Dr Dampare’s visit together with other senior officers is expected to boost Police morale and also assure the citizenry of the service’s readiness to protect them.

The Police administration last week assured residents in Wa and its environs that it has taken cognizance of their security concerns and has, therefore, put in place measures to support the Regional Police Command to beef up security to ensure the safety of all persons in the Metropolis.

Special purpose investigation and intelligence teams as well as police visibility and crime combat teams have since been deployed to the area.

The deployment was in response to a protest from angry youth in the area over suspected killings with the latest being a security man.

Though there was no trace of the security guard’s body, residents found traces of blood near Wa Technical University.

Police on Sunday, however, exhumed a body from a shallow grave at “Napogi-ba Kolee” which was later identified by family members as the security man named Seidu Dakpuli.