Residents of Wassa Japa in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region are terrified over what they describe as series of ritual murders in the small ‘galamsey’ community. According to the people, about five unidentified dead bodies have recently been found under bizarre circumstances in certain parts of the community, including some ‘galamsey’ pits in the area. They therefore suspected these were ritual killings. They indicated that the alleged ritual killings had put the residents into great fear leaving them scared for their lives. A resident in the community who spoke to Daily Guide on condition of anonymity alleged that the unfortunate incidents occurring in the small community was purportedly being carried out by the illegal miners or ‘galamsey’ operators in the area, for ritual purposes, to enable them accrue more money. Daily Guide gathered that the body of the latest victim was found in one of the ‘galamsey’ pits at Wassa Japa, on Saturday June 23, 2012 at about 4:00pm. The victim, who was allegedly murdered by unknown assailants, was identified by some people as Emmanuel Bassuah, a 29-year-old teacher at Wassa Dunkwa in the district. The father of the alleged victim, John Bassuah, in an interview with Daily Guide, mentioned that he suspected his son was killed by some ‘galamsey’ operators in the area for ritual purposes. He told Daily Guide that on June 22, 2012, Emmanuel, had decided to go and spend a mid-term holiday with some family members at Wassa Domeabra in the district. He noted that when the deceased arrived at the lorry station at Wassa Japa at about 8:00pm to board a vehicle to Domeabra, there was no car so he decided to rest on a table at the lorry station to wait for a vehicle. The father said unfortunately his son fell asleep. He suspected that a group of people might have picked him while he was asleep, killed and dumped his body in a ‘galamsey’ pit on the Jappa-Dadieso road. John Bassuah alleged that the lifeless body of his son had been left in the muddy ‘galamsey’ pit for three days before the police were notified. The body had been retrieved and buried without a search for its relatives. He said he identified the victim as his son after he had seen photographs of the lifeless body when it was brought out of the ‘galamsey’ pit. He added that the case was reported to the police who arrested the owner of the pit to help in investigations. He, however, appealed to the peace officers to help exhume the body from where it had been buried, so that the family could perform the necessary rites for proper burial. When contacted, ASP Emmanuel Mwinsori, the Police Crime Officer for the area, confirmed that indeed a lifeless body had been recently retrieved from a ‘galamsey’ pit in the area. ASP Mwinsori noted that when police personnel got to the pit, it was realized that the body had decomposed beyond recognition. He pointed out that the police then liaised with the chief of the area, Nana Adarkwa, and a medical doctor from the Wassa Akropong hospital, to seek a court order to bury the body. “Even before the burial, the dead body was left on the ground from the morning till 5pm to enable the residents identify him, but no one recognized him so he was buried”, he added. The Police Crime Officer noted that it was after the burial that Mr. Bassuah, who had reported of his missing son, had gone to the police station to claim the buried body was his son. He indicated investigations into the case were ongoing and assured the people that very soon the circumstances surrounding the missing 29-year-old teacher would be revealed.