<<Print>>

THE CHAIRMAN of the Nima Neighbourhood Watchdog Committee, Ibrahim Jebkle has expressed concern about a strange development in a portion of the sprawling Accra suburb. It is now common to wake up in the morning to find an animal with its eyes plucked from their sockets. In some cases, the animals have some parts of their skin cut off, leaving them to bleed from the cuts. To date, nobody has been arrested for the nasty development but many believe it is the work of �sakawa� boys. This is a new chapter in the ritualistic deeds of the boys who also use human body parts. Discarded sanitary pads are also now gathered by these boys, upon the directives of their fetish consultants, to prepare the rituals that are believed would make them rich overnight. The Chairman told Daily Guide that his committee would do all that it can to save the defenseless animals from the hands of these young boys whose obsession for wealth would drive them to do anything. Speaking to the paper, he said the operations of the neighbourhood watchdog committee were being retarded, a situation which had encouraged criminals to prowl at night with renewed confidence. On the construction of a new headquarters building for the National Community Policing Unit, he said although it was a good idea, the authorities should try and incorporate neighbourhood watchdog committees into their mission. This, according to him, would be the best way to realize the objectives of community policing in the country. He said nowadays the �sakawa� boys easily inflict cutlass wounds on each other in the area and get away with it. This among other crimes was reduced to the barest minimum when the activities of the neighbourhood watchdog committee were at its peak, he added. �Previously, we could swoop on criminals immediately we hear about their activities but now we are required to inform the police first and this way, the criminals are able to flee before any action is taken against them,� he said. �There is the need to fashion out a new way of cooperation between our outfit and the police because the current order is not in the best interest of the anti-crime war,� he pointed out.