The Ghana Police Service has dismantled a criminal syndicate responsible for a string of violent rural bank robberies across the country, recovering a cache of weapons, vehicles, cash, and valuables in the process.
Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Lydia Yaako Donkor, said the breakthrough followed six months of sustained intelligence-led operations under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police.
Weapons and Items Seized
The police retrieved:
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3 AK-47 assault rifles
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1 single-barrel gun with 1 AAA ammunition
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7 pump-action guns with 96 rounds of AAA ammunition
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3 Bruni pistols with 40 rounds of ammunition
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1 M&P pistol with 4 rounds of ammunition
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Cash of GH¢18,845, $104, 190 Liberian dollars, ₦5,800, and CFA 31,000
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Several Ghanaian coins, mobile phones, and jewellery
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6 vehicles and 4 motorbikes
Gang’s Operations
Ms. Donkor revealed that the gang, made up of about 15 members, had been linked to robberies in the Ahafo, Western, Central, Eastern, and Ashanti Regions.
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So far, police have arrested 10 suspects, while three others were killed in a shootout. A manhunt is underway for the remaining members.
One of their most recent attacks occurred on Sunday, September 14, at 3:30 a.m., when the group stormed the Saint Martins De Porres Cooperative Credit Union armed with pump-action guns and AK-47 rifles. They held the security guard and his wife hostage before fleeing with cash. Police later found a loaded AK-47 magazine at the scene.
Link to Police Officer’s Killing
The CID boss disclosed that one of the AK-47 rifles recovered was a police-issued weapon. The gun, marked GH GP/ASH/TEPA/TP/B1523, belonged to Corporal Francis Adu Yaw of the Tepa District, who was shot and killed by armed robbers on the Bibiani-Goaso highway on November 29, 2024.
“This is an indication that this same gang committed that heinous crime,” Ms. Donkor confirmed.
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem