Paramount Chief of the Waala Traditional Area, Wa Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, has expressed worry over some unnecessary commentaries in the ongoing investigations of the recent murders and abductions within the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.
He advised the people against indulging in speculations, discussions and interference in the arrest of suspects in the case to allow the security agencies carry out their investigations in a professional manner to bring the perpetrators to book.
He made the call Saturday, September 24, 2022, during an engagement with indigenous sectional heads and the youth search teams collaborating with the Police in the search for the victims as well as perpetrators of the heinous crimes.
The Secretary to the Overlord of the Waala Traditional Area – Jinpenhi Naa Kadri Ibrahim – in an interview on the sidelines of the event stated that:
“His majesty felt worried after the arrest of the first suspect of these crimes, then some people within town began to jump into conclusions that he (suspect) was a mad man, he was this, he was a beggar, that he could not have done these things. So this was a great source of worry to his Majesty. He says we’re a people troubled by these developments and we’re the people continuing to pray to Allaah to expose the perpetrators, to give us peace in our backyard. So that the least he would expect from us as a people will be for us to began to conclude that the arrested fellow – the suspect maybe insane. So he says let’s just leave everything to the Police and the investigating team. That let the professional investigators do their work and that if at the end of investigations, it’s concluded professionally that the so, so and so (suspect) is mentally challenged…but who tells us that a mentally challenged person cannot go about killing people? It’s one of the characteristics of that.
“So if indeed it’s confirmed that he’s mad, it’ll still not exonerate him in our mindset that he cannot be behind these (murders) that as far as mentally challenged people sometimes can get to kill people. So his Majesty concern has been that let’s just allow the Police and their investigating team that breathing space to do their work professionally devoid of the interferences and public discussions whilst the investigations are ongoing.”
According to him, the engagement with the youth groups was to express gratitude to the youth groups for their sacrifices to help in unlocking the mysteries surrounding the barbaric killings being visited on the people, adding that the move was also intended to give the people hope of better days ahead.
His Majesty while expressing optimism about the success of the ongoing investigations, reminded the security agencies of the fact that the municipality was still not out of the woods yet.
“As you know, we have been in a state of mourning for sometime now in Wa owing to the unfortunate perpetration of murders against innocent civilians of our society by unknown persons. So his Majesty saw the need to have this briefing with the youth and sectional heads of our community at large, to sort of give them hope that there is certainly good news at the end of the tunnel and to also draw attention to the general security system that Wa is not out of the woods yet. That we’re still struggling and fighting to get out of the predicament. And he also saw it necessary to use the occasion to express his gratitude to the galant search teams made of the youth drawn from the society itself who have been out there sacrificing their time, their sleep and everything of theirs towards finding both the perpetrators of the heinous crimes and also the victims of the unfortunate development who may have been buried unreasonably in very bad ways. If Wa continues to look unsafe or becomes an insecure place, then it definitely will be affecting the rest of the Upper West Region,” his Majesty noted.
He charged the youth to continue to collaborate with the Police and security agencies in fighting the canker to bring respite to the people.
The Overlord reiterated optimism in the ability of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to rescue the people from the claws of the vicious blood-thirsty murderers.
His Majesty commended business magnate and CEO of Radio Waa, a local radio station, Alhaji Alhassan Gbagnu, for making a financial donation of ¢5,000.00 to support the search teams and a pledge of ¢10,000.00 bounty for any credible information that would lead to the arrest of the suspects. Wa Naa also mentioned the contribution of an amount of ¢2,000.00 to the youth groups by the Member of Parliament for Wa Central – Dr. Hassan Rashid Pelpuo.
He called on other indigenes within and outside the region to emulate such good example by also supporting the fight against the current happenings in the municipality in whatever way possible.