Probe 2000 Killing Of Women
President John Evans Atta Mills has directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to re-open investigations into the alleged serial killing of women prior to the 2000 elections.
He said further investigations into the case would unravel the truth behind that bizarre episode and ensure that that despicable act did not happen again in the Ghana's history.
The President was of the view that it was of great importance that the truth was established to know whether or not that bizarre incident had been an arranged plot for the sake of generations yet unborn.
Thirty-four women were allegedly killed under mysterious circumstances and dumped at different locations in Accra and Kumasi in the run-up to the 2000 general election.
The incidents created a high level of insecurity, fear and panic in the country, a situation which prompted women’s groups to embark on demonstrations to express concern and demand more government action on the matter.
When the government of the New Patriotic party (NPP) took power in 2000, one Charles Quansah was arrested in February 2000 and convicted for killing his girlfriend, Joyce Boateng, and nine others.
The Police Administration had previously carried out a lot of investigations, including getting support from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) of the USA during the Kufuor administration, to support investigations but the issue remained unresolved.
In 2003, Quansah spoke to the press and claimed ignorance of killing the nine women, saying that his earlier confession had been made under duress.
In the bizarre episode that rocked the country before the 2000 elections, there was no funeral for any of the murdered women, neither was any of the victims identified by their relatives or anyone, heightening suspicion and deepening the mystery surrounding the episode.
President Mills said events before, during and after the 2008 elections ably justified the need to re-open investigations “to get to the bottom of those mysterious serial killings that hit our dear nation”.
The President called on the police to use local and foreign expertise that they could marshal to unravel the truth.