The acid option

This year would go down as the worst in terms of fatal acid baths. Last week the latest in a series of crazy pouring of acids for murderous reasons was recorded in the country.

The death of a Nigerian student, who died after the substance was poured on her, follows on the heels of an earlier incident in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

Her death has prompted a silent conversation among many Ghanaians.

They are scared and wondering when the next one is going to happen and who would be the victim especially since no measures have been put in place to reduce the spate.

None of these discussions has, however, reached a level of getting the authorities to restrict the sale of the substance, which is why we are worried.

It is becoming a preferred choice of the wicked when they get into the killing mode. In the Eastern Regional incident, a man poured the substance on his wife and kids, leading to their death; he too died under similar circumstance. So far various headlines have accompanied these murderous developments but we are yet to hear any demands for restriction on the acquisition of the substance.

Acids are as easy to acquire as drinking water, which is why the subject is a serious one and demands the involvement of the authorities.

We are appalled at this development since it is new in our part of the world.

To kill another human being using either concentrated Hydrochloric or Sulphuric acid is not only criminal but beyond comprehension.

When poisonous gas was used during the World War I by German soldiers, the issue attracted world attention following the ordeal suffered by the victims. It was eventually decided that such means of killing on the battlefield be avoided.

It presupposes that even in war any crude means of taking life is inappropriate and unacceptable.

It is a wicked way to take life and so everything that has to be done to make the acquisition of such substances difficult, if not impossible, must be done for the sake of humanity.

The story of the Nigerian student, we have learnt, is assuming diplomatic dimension as members of the Nigerian community take up the matter to ensure that it does not die.

We are by this commentary prompting civil society organisations and others who deal with issues pertaining to the preservation of humanitarian values to deal with the rising spate of killing by acid.

Such acids, we think, should be restricted in its acquisition, otherwise it would become a preferred choice for diabolic persons.

Jilted men have used it on their girlfriends and others out of pain suffered as a result of undisclosed reasons. No reason is good enough to warrant the use of such substances on fellow human beings.

Not dealing with the subject can never be an option, and so we ask for action now before another wicked person somewhere disfigures or kills another man, woman or even a child.