DCEs Mourn Murdered Colleague

All Metropolitan, Municipal and District chief Executives (MMDcEs) in the country have embarked on a week�s national mourning to grieve over the death of the Nkwanta South DCE, Peter Kojo Kenyenso, who was gruesomely murdered on Monday. The President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku, who announced this yesterday on Accra-based Adom FM, said the national mourning took effect yesterday. The NALAG President maintained that all MMDCEs will put on red armbands and also fly same on their vehicles during the period to mourn their dead colleague and to also register their displeasure at the recent callous attacks on MMDCEs. The National Executive Committee of the association was expected to hold a crunch meeting yesterday in which they would issue an official statement about the incident. The statement was expected to highlight their concerns to government over the incessant attacks on MMDCEs. Alhaji Mohammed Doku, who is the Asunafo North Municipal Chief Executive in the Brong- Ahafo Region, appealed to President Mahama and the sector minister to ensure that they are given bodyguards since their lives are in continuous danger. When asked whether they intend staging a strike action or demonstration to press home their demand for personal security, the NALAG President replied in the negative, saying that per their position they cannot embark on any such action. He pointed out that in the past few months a number of MMDCEs, including his colleagues at Banda in the Brong-Ahafo Region, Kumawu in the Ashanti Region and Kumbungu in the Northern Region, were threatened and some were even chased out of their offices and nearly lynched. Alhaji Doku stated that the situation is worrying as MMDCEs are constantly living in fear; hence the urgent call on the President to ensure that they are given the needed security. The Nkwanta South DCE was shot dead at close range at his official residence on Monday night when he alighted from his vehicle. The police are currently holding ten suspects in their custody in connection with the callous killing.