Killings & Murders: Why some Ghanaians are Taking Lives in the hope of Making more Money & the Solution
306 murder cases were recorded in only the first half (January 1 to June 30) of 2021. Out of that figure, only one case was closed successfully in court within the period.
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This data was obtained from the Statistics Research and Monitoring Unit (SRMU) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service by Citinewsroom.
It is safe to say that taking the lives of other people is an act that is growing at an alarming rate in Ghana - a rate that appears to be overwhelming for the judicial courts.
Source: UGC
Exact figures have not been disclosed with regards to the different causes of the 306 murder cases but it is notable that many of them were in the lines of money rituals, ransoms, and robberies.
A lot of these cases have previously been reported by YEN.com.gh.
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For instance, Felix Nyarko (16) and Nicholas Kini (19) who had been standing trial since April, after the two allegedly conspired to kill an 11-year-old Ishmael Abdallah at Kasoa, recently made another confession.
16-year-old juvenile Felix Nyarko confessed they had previously killed a pregnant woman for similar purposes.
Also, a lady who simply identified herself as Adwoa gave a chilling narration about an experience with a male client who nearly used her for a money ritual.
Again, in June, a robbery incident happened near the Korle-Bu area at Jamestown in Accra on Monday, June 14, 2021, claiming the lives of a police officer and a civilian.
The list goes on and on.
Why are so many people being killed?
Ghanaian Defense and Security Analyst, Dr. Prosper Nii Nortey Addo, stated in an interview monitored by YEN.com.gh on GTV with Abdul Hayi Moomen that the main causes of the murder incidents are economic and political.
Poverty
According to the analyst, a lot of young people in Ghana yearn to make a good living but do not have systems in place to obtain what they need very easily, which is why they resort to the unwholesome means.
Every now and then, a few incidents portray the extent of unemployment in the country.
In July, for instance, a video showing an 'unending' queue of applicants hoping to get recruited into the Ghana Army surfaced online and generated massive reactions regarding the unemployment situation.
A classical example of poverty causing citizens to engage in bad practices was how Akua, a 24-year-old Ghanaian lady was sent to jail for stealing Ghc5 to buy food to feed her two hungry children.
In the video sighted by YEN.com.gh on the official Facebook page of Crime Check TV GH, Akua Akyaa recounted how she stole Ghc5 from a neighbor, was fined Ghc2,500 by the court which she could not pay and this resulted in her imprisonment.
Similarly, a young man was also imprisoned because he committed a petty theft of stealing rice from a rice cooker when he was extremely hungry.
In order to be able to survive, people are increasingly finding it easier to illegitimately take what does not belong to them.
The ones who go extreme, end up taking the lives of other humans in the bid for their own money.
Political motivation
Dr. Prosper Nii Nortey Addo, the Defense and Security Analyst also categorically stated that there are a lot of people who believe their ambition for fame, votes and other forms of success will materialize when they make human sacrifices.
"People believe killing and sacrificing body parts help with the winning of elections, for instance," he mentioned.
Although specific instances of this have not been widely reported in Ghana, certain parts of Africa have had confirmed examples which the security analyst believes occurs in Ghana as well.
A report by peacewomen.com indicates that there have been cases whereby people's heads were found in Asian-owned shops whilst some politicians commissioned ritual killings so that they could win elections.
What can be done to stop the increasing menace?
The chief of Prestea, Nana Nteboa Pra IV, who is a resourceful person on many traditional discourses is of the view that measures must be put in place to reduce the advertisement of ritual forms of making money.
Putting a ban on ritual advertisements
According to Nana, there are too many advertisements going on even on national televisions in Ghana regarding money doubling and other forms of making money without hard work.
These, he believes contribute greatly to making the youth think along the lines of finding unconventional and quick money-making schemes instead of focusing on hard work and diligence to become successful.
There are people who do not have a lot of money to get by and they yearn to be influential and rich in the shortest way possible.
When such people watch the get-rich-quick-schemes, they get influenced that ritual killing, robberies, and the like are the way to go.
Taking personal security more seriously
It is becoming increasingly important for Ghanaians to take personal security very seriously and make sure they do not find themselves in vulnerable positions while on their everyday endeavors.
Speaking to YEN.com.gh, Ewurama Police, a renowned female police officer and musician, indicated that Ghanaians should, as much as possible, stop moving about at odd hours alone.
She also stated that they should watch out for telling signs when boarding taxis or privately-owned vehicles, as these are some of the means through which unsuspecting victims are captured.
Ewurama Police also mentioned that citizens should make it a point to have emergency numbers at their fingertips that they can call anytime they find themselves in uncomfortable situations.
"Death threats must also not be joked with. If anyone makes statements about you that suggest they might be happy to end your life, report it immediately to the police for appropriate action to be taken," she added.
Improving the livelihoods of Ghanaians
According to tradeconomics.com, the unemployment rate in Ghana is expected to reach 4.60 percent by the end of 2021, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts' expectations.
In the long-term, Ghana's unemployment rate is projected to trend around 4.40 percent in 2022 and 4.20 percent in 2023, according to econometric models.
In Rwanda, the unemployment rate for 2020 was 1.35%, a 0.36% increase from 2019, and this is expected to get even better in the coming years, according to macrotrends.net.
Ghana needs to do a lot of work in order to provide jobs to young people and make their livelihoods much better.
This will reduce the extent of poverty being experienced in the country and also reduce the rate at which crime and murders are taking place.
Conclusion
It is a fact that a lot of young people in Ghana are resorting to unconventional means of making money.
However, according to the experts, appropriate action can be taken by both the government and Ghanaians to ensure that the motivation is cut off, proper means of making money are encouraged and lives remain secure.
Source: YEN.com.gh
