…WHY WE SAY THE PRESIDENT IS ON A WILD GOOSE CHASE! (1)

SOURCE: NEW CRUSADING GUIDE

The professional integrity of the Editor-in-Chief of The New Crusading GUIDE, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has been attacked by some Editors and columnists of some pro-NDC newspapers in the last few weeks just because he (Kweku Baako) had expressed the view that the President’s directive to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye, to re-open investigations into the pre-2000 serial murders of women, would end up being an exercise in futility; a wild goose chase just as happened in the earlier BNI-led re-investigation of the 2007 murder of Mr. Rokko Frimpong in October/November 2009.

Baako has since the expression of his views and subsequent publications of stories on the matter in The New Crusading GUIDE, been described as ‘a fraud’, ‘a hoax’, ‘a trickster’, ‘a defender of sick minds and psychopaths in the NPP’, and what have you. Questions have been posed as to why Baako is allegedly opposed to the President’s directive to the IGP and/or why he (Baako) is scared of the re-opening of the case?

For the avoidance of doubt Baako and The New Crusading GUIDE are NOT opposed to the President’s directive to the IGP in principle. We are also not oblivious of the fact that there is no statute limitation on crimes such as murder or serial killings, and that time and space are no barriers to the pursuit of investigations and justice in cases of that nature. Indeed, Baako has already admitted to that elementary fact in his submissions on the President’s directive on Peace FM, Joy FM and Metro TV.

What Baako has said loud and clear is that given the ‘ingredients’ or ‘particulars’ which apparently informed the President’s directive, the re-investigation is destined to arrive at a cul-de-sac; a blind alley. Baako and The New Crusading GUIDE have confidently stated that in their view the Presidential Order was ‘dead on arrival’ at the table of the IGP.

People including journalists, editors and ‘Quansah advocates or sympathisers’ are at liberty to disagree with our judgement or assessment of what the ultimate outcome of the IGP’s pursuit of the Presidential Order will be. After all that is the essence of democracy and a free-thinking society. It is only weak minds and intellectual midgets who would choose to rain insults and abuses on us for predicting that the President’s directive to the IGP will end up being an exercise in futility.

The State-owned Daily Graphic’s November 15, 2010 report which announced that the President had ordered the IGP to re-open investigations into the pre-2000 killing of women, indicated that “President Mills said events before, during and after the 2008 elections ably justify the need to re-open investigations ‘to get to the bottom of those mysterious serial killings that hit our dear nation’”. Of course, we were not told which events the President was referring to.

The Graphic then recalled that “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”.

The Graphic also claimed that Quansah, the person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction for the murder of nine women in 2003 subsequently “spoke to the press and claimed ignorance of killing the nine women, saying that his earlier confession had been made under duress”.

The President, according to the Graphic, “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”, adding that “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 country’s history”.

The Graphic after providing the public with an insight into the President’s thinking which went into the re-opening directive, editorialised to the effect that “Again, this matter, even after 10 years, still evokes fear in the ranks of the people especially so as important questions such as who was behind them, what was their motive, how were the killings carried out, how and when were they conceived, who were those who supported and facilitated them and many more, have not been answered”.

“We believe that such a probe will get to the bottom of the matter, unearth the truth, ensure that the law takes its course and then the good people of this country will then rest assured that the real miscreants have been smoked out and dealt with and that their safety and freedom from fear is enhanced”.

As already indicated Baako and The New Crusading GUIDE are neither opposed to the President’s directive nor challenging his authority/mandate to order a re-opening of investigations into the issue at stake. What we have said and will continue to say is that in the absence of any fresh and compelling evidence or lead, the re-opening exercise is doomed to failure! The questions posed in the Graphic editorial notwithstanding, unless the Police have fresh and compelling evidence to proceed on, we can bet there is bound to be yet another ‘wild goose chase’ a la the Rokko Frimpong saga as happened late 2009 and early 2010!

Somebody might query our assertion that there is no fresh and compelling evidence to constitute the basis for a re-activation of investigation into the matter. At least we have not been told of any such new, fresh, compelling evidence or lead by the powers-that-be. ALL WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD IS A RE-HASH OF THE SAME OLD STORY OF QUANSAH’S PURPORTED RETRACTION OF HIS CONFESSION TO KILLING NINE WOMEN; ALLEGED NON-IDENTIFICATION OF THE VICTIMS; NO INFORMATION ABOUT RELATIVES OF THE VICTIMS; NON-PERFORMANCE OF FUNERALS FOR THE VICTIMS; THE NON-DETERMINATION OF MOTIVES OF THE KILLERS; THE MODE OF KILLINGS AND THE IDENTITY OR IDENTITIES OF THE ALLEGED SPONSORS AND FACILITATORS AS CONTAINED IN THE GRAPHIC’S NOVEMBER 15, 2010 STORY AND ACCOMPANYING EDITORIAL.

OR IS THE NEW ANGLE WHAT THE GRAPHIC TELLS US THAT THE PRESIDENT BELIEVES SOME UNSPECIFIED “EVENTS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE 2008 ELECTIONS ABLY JUSTIFY THE NEED TO RE-OPEN INVESTIGATIONS”? EVENTS, THE NATURE OF WHICH, WE ARE NOT TOLD?

In any case, most of the questions raised by the Graphic story and editorial were either partially or fully answered by Police investigations from 1993 to 2001 up to the point when Quansah was arrested, charged, tried, convicted and sentenced by a court of competent jurisdiction. Any outstanding question(s) could and should trigger re-investigation if and only if a fresh and compelling evidence emerges otherwise the Police and the nation would only have been invited to embark on a speculative journey to nowhere!

OUR CHECKS OF OFFICIAL POLICE RECORDS SHOW THAT THE IDENTITIES OF ALL BUT SIX OF THE VICTIMS WERE ESTABLISHED AND THEIR RELATIVES CONTACTED.

Interestingly, Mr. Rawlings, then President, speaking to the nation in a radio and television broadcast on December 27, 2000, sourced official Police files, to indicate that “the murders began in Kumasi in 1993 and between that time and 1996, 10 women were murdered under mysterious circumstances”.

He said in 1998, the killings shifted to Accra with 42 disturbing deaths involving women.

“The murderers in six out of the 42 cases have been arrested and are currently in prison custody; in three out of the six cases, husbands committed the murders”, Rawlings told Ghanaians.

He said that TWO DEATHS WHICH OCCURRED IN 1998 HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED AS SUICIDE CASES WHILE NINE ARE INQUEST CASES, AND THEREFORE BEFORE THE CORONER. RAWLINGS SAID THAT 25 OUT OF THE 42 CASES WERE DEATHS, WHICH HAD OCCURRED IN MYSTERIOUS AND INEXPLICABLE CIRCUMSTANCES AS THOSE THAT HAD HAPPENED IN KUMASI BETWEEN 1993 AND 1996.

“Out of the number, six occurred in 1998, twelve in 1999 and seven this year (2000). Seven of the victims have so far not been identified. The murders occur late at night or early dawn… The victims were either raped or strangled”, disclosed Rawlings.

He lamented the fact that in most cases the suspects picked up by the Police, were bailed and prosecution discontinued apparently for lack of evidence.

On December 19, 2000, Peter Nanfuri, then the IGP, announced at a press confab in Accra, the arrest of 10 men in connection with the serial killings. He said the Police had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute them.

Mr. Nanfuri said investigations into some of the cases had been completed and the dockets handed over to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice.

“As we speak today, the Attorney-General’s Department is preparing the required summaries of evidence and bills of indictment for the prosecution of the Mawuli (Dansoman) and Ankaful murder cases”, he assured.

Mr. Nanfuri, at an earlier meeting with Police Officers in Kumasi, had condemned the public outcry against the Police’s alleged inability to apprehend the perpetrators of the serial killings, saying that some of the suspects were arrested at Mawuli and Pantang.

HE WAS DISPLEASED WITH THE DECISION OF A COURT WHICH SET FREE EIGHT NIGERIANS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERIAL KILLINGS FOR WANT OF PROSECUTION AND WERE CONSEQUENTLY DEPORTED.

“I AM NOT CASTIGATING THE COURTS BUT AT TIMES CERTAIN DECISIONS THEY TAKE RENDER THE POLICE ADMINISTRATION POWERLESS”, he contended.

Mr. Nanfuri insisted the Police had enough evidence to prosecute the 10 suspects who had been arrested, noting that he was “restrained to give details since the case is before the court”.

Mr. Rawlings as President and Professor Mills as Vice President, were in charge of State Power during the period when most of these serial killings transpired and when Peter Nanfuri and the Police conducted their investigations and ended up sending some suspects to court only for them to be set free on account of lack of evidence as indicated by Mr. Rawlings in his radio and television broadcast to the nation on December 27, 2000.

Rawlings, in the said broadcast, contended that the “impunity with which the murderers have gone about their heinous crime points to other sinister political motives”, adding that the timings of the last two murders (December 11, 2000 and December 18, 2000) were of some significance.

“We may recall that days before the last victim was murdered, a leading political figure in the opposition mounted a platform to proclaim that the killings will stop as soon as a new government comes into power. Are the people of Ghana expected to take those pronouncements as another of those cruel political jokes that some politicians are capable of making at the expense of the poor victims and their families or do they in fact know something about the killings?”, he queried.

Rawlings wondered why anyone could think that a government facing a crucial election will condone serial killings of women and added that “the murders might be the work of people who want to achieve their goal of making the government unpopular”.

He contended that the lives of Ghanaian women were too precious to be used as ‘expendables’ in any political game. Three (3) years down the line after Rawlings’ broadcast in June, 2003, he told a team of Police Officers who had gone to him for the evidence he claimed he had about “15 people of Kufuor’s Senior Cabinet” (who were then in opposition) having masterminded the serial killings of the women, that he would only provide the ‘killer evidence’ if the government made available “Chemical Interrogation” or “Truth Serum Test”.

“The murders were designed to create political insecurity and it was a successful operation. They had done enough research to realize that the women were our backbone in terms of our votes. There was the transmission of the hatred against us that was transmitted onto the underdogs, if I may use that term, the masses. The women were the most potent voters; they were considered the most vulnerable; the masses for them were the most expendable, and that is why they were targeted…”, Mr. Rawlings told the high-profile Police CID team which had gone to his residence to seek the evidence he (Rawlings) claimed he had.

Pressed to disclose the names of the “15 people of Kufuor’s Senior Cabinet” allegedly connected with the killings of the 34 women, Rawlings stressed that he would not do so because by so doing he would be helping them to ‘psyche’ themselves up as a defence mechanism.

“I WILL MENTION THEIR NAMES IF ONLY THERE IS A CHEMICAL INTERROGATION. I WON’T PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE”, emphasised Rawlings.

Seven (7) years after Mr. Rawlings refused to disclose the names of his list of ‘suspects’ or provide the ‘killer evidence’ Ghanaians are still waiting for what could amount to ‘new, fresh and compelling evidence’ that could either justify the President’s directive to the IGP to re-open the case of serial killings of women or support the wild allegations of pro-NDC newspapers and Editors that ‘sick minds and psychopaths in the NPP’ perpetrated the serial murders of women or both.

Thanks to Mr. Kofi Adams, Special Aide to Mr. Rawlings, Ghanaians now know that the former President (Rawlings) was unaware of the Presidential Order to the IGP to re-open the investigations into the pre-2000 serial murders of women, and hence he could not have provided any evidence to the Government or Security Agencies which may have informed the President’s directive to the IGP. It is the expectation of many well-meaning Ghanaians that the IGP and his team will invite Mr. Rawlings to assist in the re-opened investigations.

Apart from Mr. Rawlings, people like Victor Smith, Mike Dokosi, (aka Kofi Twumasi/Kwabena Asante) and some pro-NDC journalists, editors and party functionaries have in the last 7/8 years claimed that Police investigations which led to the arrest, trial and conviction of Charles Quansah were shoddy and bogus amounting to a cover-up.

Our scrutiny of the stories told and the claims made by these personalities has convinced us that they have nothing of evidential value to support their stories and claims. Published elsewhere in this edition is one such story authored by Kwabena Asante (real name: Mike Dokosi, now the Editor of The Daily Post). It is our hope that Mr. Dokosi will proceed to the Police and authenticate his story as part of the re-opening exercise. Alternatively, we believe it would be useful if the Police were to invite him to assist in pursuing the President’s directive to the IGP.

THESE GENTLEMEN HAVE OVER THE YEARS CLAIMED THAT CHARLES QUANSAH WAS/IS AN INNOCENT PERSON, AND THAT HE WAS/IS A VICTIM OF MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE. THEY HAVE INSISTED ON THE NEED FOR THE INSTITUTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ENQUIRY FOR THE CONVICTED SERIAL MURDERER TO TELL HIS STORY. NONE OF THEM HAD BOTHERED TO FACILITATE AN APPEAL PROCESS FOR HIM TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE BEFORE A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION! THEY HAVE ALSO CLAIMED THAT THE FBI DID NOT HELP IN ARRESTING QUANSAH AS IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY SUCH CLAIM! NOBODY HAD SAID ANYWHERE THAT THE FBI TOOK PART IN THE ARREST OF QUANSAH. WHAT WAS SAID WAS THAT THE FBI, UPON THE INVITATION OF THE GOVERNMENT, SENT A TEAM TO ASSIST THE GHANA POLICE IN ITS INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE SERIAL MURDERS. THE FBI TEAM’S ROLE RELATIVE TO THE ‘QUANSAH INTERROGATION PROCESS’ HAPPENED AFTER QUANSAH HAD BEEN ARRESTED BY THE GHANA POLICE.

Quansah, contrary to the claims of Victor Smith, Alban Bagbin and company, was arrested on February 21, 2001, and not in June 2000. Official Police records show that Quansah’s February 21, 2001 arrest was linked to the murder of his girlfriend, Joyce Boateng on February 18, 2001. The FBI Team arrived in Ghana in May 2001 and the records show they (FBI) helped in the interrogation process!

In 2007 Victor Smith made some crude and pathetic attempts to drag Mr. Peter Nanfuri into the fray by claiming that the former IGP (Nanfuri) had confided in him (Smith) that though the Police had picked up some leads on the serial killings in Togo, President Kufuor prevented the Police from following the trail and subsequently used Asante Apeatu to sabotage the whole exercise. Mr. Nanfuri publicly vehemently denied Mr. Smith’s story, describing it as a figment of his (Smith’s) imagination.

“OH! HE IS IMAGINING IT. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. EVEN IF I HAD MET WITH THE PRESIDENT TO DISCUSS THAT INVESTIGATION, I WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IF I HAD DISCUSSED SOMETHING WITH THE PRESIDENT, WHY WOULD I GO AND DISCUSS IT WITH VICTOR SMITH”, Nanfuri queried in an interview with The Weekend Crusading GUIDE (September 14-20, 2007).

When The Weekend Crusading GUIDE informed Mr. Smith of Mr. Nanfuri’s denial, he (Smith) quipped: “I am maintaining I have spoken to him. I have also spoken to Apeatu and he cannot deny or say I have not spoken to him on this matter. If he is saying this, I don’t want to suggest that he is lying. I can only say he should swear by the cross, if he is a true catholic and I would swear by my bible”.

“I think there should be a public enquiry and those who did the investigations earlier should be publicly cross-examined by competent lawyers, and they will find that they were lying to the people of Ghana”, prescribed Smith.

IT IS THE ABOVE MIND-SET INSPIRED BY RUMOURS; SUSPICIONS AND PARTISAN POLITICAL CALCULATIONS THAT UNDERLINED THE CRUDE PROPAGANDA AND CAMPAIGN WAGED BY THE NDC TOWARDS BOTH 2004 AND 2008 ELECTIONS RELATIVE TO THE ISSUE OF THE SERIAL KILLINGS OF WOMEN AS WELL AS THE MURDER (OR WAS IT ‘CONTRACT KILLING’?) OF ROKKO FRIMPONG, WHICH WE BELIEVE CONSTITUTES THE BASIS FOR THE PRESIDENT’S DIRECTIVE TO THE IGP TO RE-OPEN INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE PRE-2000 SERIAL MURDERS OF WOMEN. AND THAT IS PRECISELY WHY WE CONTEND THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE, HOWEVER WELL-MEANING, WILL END UP IN A CUL DE SAC. MARK OUR WORDS!

Assuming without admitting the President had been briefed on the availability of ‘a fresh and compelling evidence’, how strategic and prudent was (is) the decision to publicise the directive to the IGP before the Police had busted the ‘appropriate suspects’ or gathered ‘sufficient evidence’ to prosecute the case to its logical end? Would the pre-mature or publicity seeking announcement not alert the ‘suspects’ or ‘real perpetrators’ to take cover or cover up their tracks? This paper is reliably informed that the Police neither have ‘any suspects’ in their custody nor ‘new, fresh and compelling evidence’ with which to embark upon any serious criminal investigation and subsequent prosecution in a Court of Law!

If the powers-that-be think we are lying let them prove us wrong and tell the public what ‘new, fresh and compelling leads and evidence’ they have to re-investigate and prosecute the serial murders which occurred between 1993 and 2001. It is obvious to us that this whole presidential directive was/is meant for purely partisan political propaganda purposes, hence the ugly noises emanating from the pro-NDC stable of newspapers and electronic media whose output on this matter over the years have turned out to be patently unsustainable and fallacious!

It is our conviction that this kind of crude propaganda and ugly politics will not help build a ‘better Ghana’. Governance is a more serious ‘business’. The pursuit of criminal justice is non-negotiable ingredient in growing a democracy and a law-governed society. However, we should be careful our democracy and society do not become ‘hostages’ to or ‘captives’ of the ‘lunatic fringe’ of our body-politic.

We repeat; we are neither challenging the President’s authority to issue the directive to the IGP to re-open investigations into the pre-2000 serial murders of women nor suggesting that there is a statute limitation imposed on that ghastly incident. All we are saying is that based on what the NDC as a corporate entity and some of its leading figures and allied media organizations and social commentators/ analysts, said in the past, and are still saying on the serial murders, we can safely predict that the President and the IGP have embarked on a journey to nowhere, a wild goose chase.

History, we believe, will absolve us just as happened in the Rokko Frimpong re-investigation saga!