Contract Killings: Jerry Rawlings Vindicated?

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By Felix Mawulolo Amegashie

The shocking and gruesome murder of Kwame Kyei Apenteng-Mensah, Managing Director of Summit Industries last Saturday is surely going to add to the growing list on bizarre and unresolved ‘hired’ killings that have been rocking Ghana lately.

These murders which were tagged by the then opposition NDC as ‘Contract Killings’ include the killing of a deputy Managing Director of Ghana Commercial Bank, the Ashanti Regional President of the Ghana Journalists Association, a fuel station owner who resides in Tema among others.

The Police have moved in swiftly to commence investigations into this latest development in the McCarthy Hills area of Accra. While hoping that this does not end up like the murders already listed, there is no guarantee as yet that the perpetrators of this heinous act will not continue to walk the streets.

That is why we share in the now constant caution from former president Jerry Rawlings that in addition to the armed robbers terrorizing innocent people [he called them social armed robbers] there is another bunch of armed persons lurking in the woods, and he describes them as political armed robbers.

President John Atta Mills when he was Candidate Mills called them “contract killings”, while Jerry Rawlings says they are “political killings”. Whichever it is Rawlings’ Friday caution, for which he was insulted and attacked by some persons was not in vain. Rawlings in commending the police service and other security agencies for their proactive response to the recent armed robberies also cautioned them to be ready and weary of what he called “political armed robbers”. These are persons who come, but won’t rob you of any belongings, but rather to kill in cold blood.

This trend of robbery is very disturbing as anyone could be victim of this ‘political or contract killing’. What is striking about Ex President Rawlings’ assertions is that he distinguishes the casual armed robber who robs his victims of personal valuables at gun point from the “more dangerous political robber” who sneaks in to kill their victims without touching any of their personal valuables not even the sight of money.

As the police administration has promised, we are confident they will move fast and trace the evidence carefully in order to arrest the perpetrators and also devise a scheme to prevent such acts.

Source: Amegashie, Felix Mawulolo