7 October 2002
Accra — Three years ago, it was the mysterious deaths of women in the national capital, which captured the imagination and fears of residents. Within a period of one year, over thirty women had been found dead in highly mysterious circumstances. The police last year arrested a suspect, one Charles Ebo Quansah. He confessed to killing eight of them. After a trial lasting months, he was found guilty and sentenced to death two months ago.
Now another series of mysterious deaths has hit the national capital. That of guard dogs.
With armed robbers making life hot for people in the country, many households have invested in guard dogs including expensive thoroughbreds, trained specifically to fight robbers and burglars. A average thoroughbred sells for around $300.
An East Cantonment resident first brought this story to the notice of ADM when her two healthy guard dogs died one after the other in suspicious circumstances. The dog owner said when she raised the issue with friends, she discovered that she was not the only victim but many other people too had suffered such mysterious deaths of their guard dogs.
The Accra Daily Mail's investigations into these mysterious dog deaths reveal that in the month of September alone, seventy-five dogs, mostly foreign breeds had died. The owners believe that a group of people, most likely armed robbers, have embarked on a dog-poisoning spree in the Accra metropolis to make it easy for them to gain entry into targeted houses.
Figures for October show that five have already died, and the month is only eight days old.
Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Ofosu told ADM at the services' La headquarters yesterday that he was not aware of the deaths. He said, "I would be investigating now that you have told me and would get back to you".
However, an employee of the veterinary service down the ladder pleading anonymity disputed the Deputy Director's position and said he had observed the comings and goings of many dog owners whose complaints have been the mysterious deaths of their guard dogs.
A resident told ADM that she believed her dogs had been deliberately poisoned by people whose motives could only be to gain entry into her house to rob her.
The AMA Veterinary Offices were virtually empty at the time ADM called yesterday to get their version. Only one man was to seen attending to a dog. Dr. Owusu, the AMA vet was on his way out of the compound and could not give his version of what seems to be the beginning of the decimation of the guard dog population in the nation's capital.
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