Nii Okaija Adamafio, Minister of the Interior, has told Parliament that the government has stirred state investigation machinery into action since the beginning of the serial killings of women in 1998 in parts of Accra.

Nii Okaija said investigations are painstakingly continuing and that last year, an inter-agency task force was set up to track down the culprits involved in the killings. The minister, who was making a statement on the murders, announced that the security agencies had made a number of arrests as a result of public spiritedness and co-operation. He said, however, that seven of the suspects who were arrested had been granted bail on the advice of the Attorney General's Department, which wanted investigations conducted on further aspects of the case. Five others who were arraigned at the court on a charge of abduction and attempted murder are also currently on bail. "My Speaker, from the foregoing, it is evident that we are strenuously pursuing this matter but, more importantly, there is the urgent and compelling need for us as a nation to decisively deal with this problem once and for all." In this regard, Nii Okaija said the National Security Council had taken a number of measures to address the problem, adding that the inter-agency task force had been expanded to include representation from the Ghana branch of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and religious bodies. Special arrangements have also been made to provide additional logistics for the security agencies to facilitate investigations into the murders while the public and neighbourhood watch committees have also been urged to be more vigilant by reporting unusual events.

The Minister emphasized that investigations of serial killings take some time to unravel and called for more public co-operation. "Mr. speaker, on many occasions we have stated that combating crime is a shared responsibility. It is the collaborative effort of the police and the public. "This is the prevailing phenomenon world-wide," he said.

Nii Okaija gave the official figure of serial killings since 1998 as 21, including the last victim who, he said, had been identified as Anita Abban, 26, whose body was found at Asylum Down last Sunday. He said six of the murders occurred in 1998, 12 in 1999 and three this year, adding that, of the 21, seven bodies had not been identified.

He said the photographs of the unidentified victims had been published in the media several times but none had as yet been identified. The minister said the bodies of those murdered in 1998 had been identified as those of Monica Serwaa, 24, Gifty Annan, 19, Beatrice Naadu, 27, Adwoa Kyereh, 45, and Janet Akua Martey, 56. Those killed in 1999 have also been identified as Beatrice Gadese, 29, Comfort Larbi Manko Henaku, 55, Mariama Chana, 20, Ama Ampofowah, 22, Araba Quansah, 34, Patience Awa, 30, and Comfort Boafo, 43, while the murder victims this year are Felicia Oprah, 35, and Anita Abban, 26.

Nii Okaija said post-mortem had been conducted on the 21 bodies, and 18 results had been received, 15 of which were given as strangulation and one each of carbonate poisoning, septicaemia and severe pulmonary congestion. In respect of the two deaths, which occurred this year, he said post-mortem was yet to be performed. Nii Okaija informed the House that pathologist reports had confirmed that some deaths initially assumed to be serial murders occurred through natural causes and said one such example was the case of Lakor Larkai who was certified to have died as a result of hypertension. Nii Okaija assured Parliament that, to allay the fears of informants, the Ministry had since the killings opened more channels of communication to offer them wider choice of persons or bodies they wish to communicate with in confidence. He named these as parliamentarians, religious leaders, ministers of state, police and military establishments, and appealed to the public to take advantage of this arrangement. The minister also appealed to civic groups and religious bodies to get fully involved in the matter and volunteer information that would lead to the apprehension of the criminals.

Commenting on the minister's statement, the members expressed the urgent need for the police to be well equipped, especially in the area of crime fighting, and urged that Ghanaians adopt a bi-partisan approach to help resolve the problem. Minority Leader J.H. Mensah noted that fighting crime depends very much on an efficient communication system and mobility, saying that the police are very much handicapped in this regard. Mr. Mensah said Ghanaians are looking up to the legislature to respond to the problem and urged parliament to do all in its power to ensure that the coming into being of the country's democratic dispensation does not imperil the peace and security of the people. Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Leader of the House, called for the adoption of a holistic approach to addressing the problem and suggested the involvement of private sector security organizations to complement the efforts of the police.

Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, NPP-Yendi, said "the situation is a national embarrassment on our hands. After two years since the killings started, we are still helpless". "It is necessary that we do all that needs to be done to address the problem," he said, and wondered how effective are the measures taken by the National Security Council to stem the tide of the murders. Alhaji Yakubu, who is also the Minority Spokesman on the Interior, called for the revamping of the manpower requirement of the Ghana Police Service to ensure effective policing and the security of the people.

Alhaji Mumuni Abudu Seidu, Deputy Majority Leader, called for public co-operation in the fight against crime and said condemning the serial killings was not enough. "We must volunteer information to the police to enhance their work," he added.

Dr. Addo-Kufuor, NPP-Manhyia, noted that the statement lacked a sense of urgency considering the severity of the crime, as there was no indication of any criminal prosecution of the suspects in the near future. He said public outcry and agitation by women's groups over the killings were due to the lethargy of the police to prosecute the suspects. "When will the interminable investigations come to an end?" he said, adding that Parliament had played a rather subdued role in this matter because the House had not brought enough pressure to bear on the sector ministry and the policemen in an effort to resolve the problem.

Mr. Alban Bagbin, NDC-Nadowli North, called for a national day of mourning to drum home the current insecurity in the country. He said the situation is a threat to the whole nation and suggested that the necessary mechanism should be evolved to ensure that the perpetrators of the murders do not shift their heinous crime to other parts of the country. Papa Owusu-Ankomah, NPP-Sekondi, described the minister's statement as a "disappointment" and "a woe of lamentation" and said if the ministry is asking the public to give information to the police, then the people must be assured that the security agencies are up to the task. He urged the minister to meet the appropriate parliamentary committee to co-ordinate efforts to help the ministry and the security agencies to perform effectively.

Mr. Emmanuel Zumakpeh, NDC-Nadowli South, said the issue should be treated as a national affair, which should cut across the political divide. Mr. Kosi Kedem, NDC-Hohoe South, noted that the mystery surrounding the murders keeps getting deeper and deeper and said after two years, the country is still looking for clues to the serial killings. "The minister has not given us enough consolation because the statement does not tell us enough in this direction."

Ms Theresa Tagoe, NPP-Ablekuma South, said she is the saddest person in the country since most of the murder victims were found in her constituency. She described the minister's statement as empty and wondered why it had taken him so long to gather such information to brief the House. She said the statement that the situation would soon be addressed was not reassuring. According to her, the first murder occurred in 1997 in her constituency and that the figure of the murder victims currently stands at 25 and not 21 as given in the minister's statement.

Reacting to some of the contributions from the members, the minister noted that Ms. Tagoe had sought to contradict the current official number of deaths as given in the statement. He assured the nation that the problem would soon be resolved but urged the public not to hurry the police into arresting the wrong people. He said the government was very much concerned about the situation and was doing everything to unravel the mystery surrounding the killings. Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, the Speaker, shared the grief and concern of the members and said the callous and systematic contempt of human life should not be allowed to continue, adding: "the nation cannot bear it any longer".

He noted that the country has enjoyed peace and stability over the years saying: "we should maintain and defend the peace and stability". The Speaker announced that a special parliamentary committee would be set up to liaise with the inter-agency task force and the security agencies in a common effort to resolve the problem.

The committee, which is to brief the House periodically on the progress of the situation, is to present a report to Parliament within a month.