The Ghana Police Service has dismantled a violent criminal gang behind a series of rural bank robberies across the country, recovering a large cache of weapons, vehicles, cash, and valuables.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, September 24, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Lydia Yaako Donkor, said the operation was the result of six months of sustained intelligence work under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police.
According to her, the items seized include:
- 3 AK-47 assault rifles
- 1 single-barrel gun with 1 AAA ammunition
- 7 pump-action guns with 96 rounds of AAA ammunition
- 3 Bruni pistols with 40 rounds of ammunition
- 1 M&P pistol with 4 rounds of ammunition
- Cash seized: GH¢18,845, $104, 190 Liberian dollars, ₦5,800, and CFA 31,000
- Assorted Ghanaian coins
- 6 vehicles and 4 motorbikes
- Several mobile phones and jewellery
Ms Donkor said the gang, believed to be about 15 members, had carried out violent robberies in the Ahafo, Western, Central, Eastern, and Ashanti Regions. Police have arrested 10 suspects so far, while three others were killed during a gun battle. A manhunt is ongoing for the remaining suspects.
One of their recent attacks took place on Sunday, September 14, at about 3:30 am, when the gang stormed the Saint Martins De Porres Cooperative Credit Union armed with AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns. They held the security guard and his wife hostage before fleeing with cash. Police later recovered a loaded AK-47 magazine at the scene.
In a chilling revelation, Ms Donkor confirmed that one of the AK-47 rifles retrieved had been issued to the Ghana Police Service. The weapon, marked GH GP/ASH/TEPA/TP/B1523, belonged to Corporal Francis Adu Yaw of the Tepa District, who was tragically 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,” she stated.
The bust marks one of the most significant police breakthroughs in recent years and is expected to bring relief to communities across the affected regions, many of which have been living under the shadow of violent robberies.
