The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills has said he is worried about what he calls “the era of contract killings in Ghana.”

According to him the country is no more a safe destination for investment.

In a statement he issued in Accra on Wednesday, Prof. Atta-Mills referred to the murder of the Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank, Mr Rokko Frimpong, the killing of prominent corporate executive, Awuah Boateng and the cold blooded murder of former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Samuel Ennin.

He said the killings were done by “heartless assassins” who kill not because they wanted to steal properties but because their mission was to wipe out their victims.

Prof. Atta-Mills is therefore calling on President Kufuor, the interior minister and the Inspector General of Police to not only find the assassins and brains behind the crimes but also restore hope in Ghanaians that they can operate within a safe environment.

Complete statement

PRESS RELEASE

July 11, 2007

RECENT CASES OF THE COLD-BLOODED MURDER OF GHANAIANS

The recent slaying of Mr. Rokko Frimpong, Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank, has undoubtedly accentuated the belief that we are now in an era where people are engaging the services of Contract Killers, to either settle scores or for the pursuit of their very selfish interests.

Before the cold blooded murder of Mr. Frimpong, a prominent Corporate Executive, Mr. Awuah Boateng, and an accomplished journalist, Mr. Samuel Ennin, were all murdered in cold blood by heartless assassins who killed not because they wanted to steal property or wealth, but killed because the mission was to wipe out their victims.

Apart from the very professional manner in which the assassins carry out their assignments, a very worrying trend that is being established, is, the hit men have exhibited brazen bravado which reeks of a “we fear nothing” attitude as they execute their jobs without masking themselves.

It is this “we fear nothing” attitude that Ghanaians must be extremely worried about since the message that the assassins and their bosses are sending is that they either don’t care if they are caught, or know that they are so well connected and protected that they cannot be caught.

As scary as the current phenomenon of Contract Killing is, it is not difficult to draw a link between what is happening and Ghana having become a key hub and major transit point for the illicit drug trade.

Ghana has become a principal corridor through which transnational drug trafficking groups operate and incontrovertible evidence abounds to that effect.

The magnitude of ill-gotten wealth that the drug trade makes available to the barons, allows them to use money to buy almost anything – including buying the services of hit men.

It cannot be ruled out that contract killers also tend to be users of drugs hence the barefaced boldness we are witnessing as in the three cases in question, the hit men have operated without masks.

Ghana is no longer the safe country and investment destination that it used to be and I am calling on President Kufuor, his Interior Minister, and the Inspector General of Police, to not only find the assassins and brains behind these heinous crimes, but also restore hope in Ghanaians that we can operate within a safe environment and not live in constant fear not knowing who would fall victim next to the bullets of the contract killers.



John Evans Atta Mills
(Presidential Candidate)