The gunning down of five suspected land guards by the Police as they sought to carry out their deadly mission of murdering the Chief of Gomoah Fetteh is yet another case in point about how some criminals can be daring.
With their so-called protection of lands in the Greater Accra Region no longer a lucrative criminal pastime, land guards are ready to be hired to undertake assassination missions for their hirers.
Unfortunately the cops, on top of their assignments, would not allow the hoodlums have their way. Their quick response resulted in the death of the five suspects and the saving of the life of the Chief and the general preservation of law and order.
Nana Abor Atta the chief has good reasons to be thankful to the police for saving his life from the well armed hoodlums who were ready to unleash a reign of terror in the town. They would have had their way but for the swift response from the dedicated cops.
We join the chief in expressing gratitude to the law enforcement personnel for preventing what could have been a bloody incident with the town being turned upside down by the hoodlums.
We can rest assure that criminals will be stopped when they dare, our cops ready to deal with them.
The report about the sophisticated weapons the armed land guards turned up at the crime scene with is yet another proof about the source of the confidence and readiness of the criminals.
Had the criminals succeeded in carrying out their mission they would have relished a heightened morale their colleagues having earlier murdered two police officers in Zuarungu in the Upper Region. Land guards and armed robbers share a common feature of murder and should be eliminated by all means.
It would be instructive to find out the source of the AK 47s in the possession of the criminals during their failed mission in Gomoah Fetteh.
Fatalities during chieftaincy disputes in the country are threatening security and should be addressed forthwith.
The case of Gomoa Fetteh is especially intriguing. The dispute having been addressed with a chief now on the stool, we would have thought that the opposing faction would have just walked away from the challenge.
The Bawku scenario comes to mind and underscores the fact that a mechanism should be sought to address the outstanding chieftaincy disputes in the country. The police responses alone won’t offer the long-term solution required to end them completely.
Simply enstooling or enskinning chiefs in restive areas and thinking all is well without addressing the underlying bone of contention does not guarantee peace.
The Dagbon case should provide us with an appropriate template in addressing such disputes. Today this part of the country, Dagbon, which skeptics did not expect would see peace again is now one of the most peaceful parts of the country courtesy of President Akufo-Addo’s intervention.
As for the land guards turned armed robbers and assassins wherever they pop up they must be met dealt with before they pull the triggers.