Ashanti South Police Foil Planned Highway Robbery, Gun Down Three Armed Suspects

The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has foiled a planned highway robbery operation along the Obuasi-Anwiankwanta Highway in the Ashanti Region, resulting in the death of three suspected armed robbers and the recovery of several weapons.

Addressing the Media at a News Conference, the Ashanti South Regional Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr. Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, said the intelligence-led operation was carried out on 24 December 2025 after police received credible information about a planned robbery along the busy highway.

According to DCOP Nyaaba, the suspects, identified as Seidu Issah, Musah Yakubu, and Yahaya Munkaila, also known as Tijani, had converged in a bushy area between Anwiankwanta and the Jacobu junction to execute the planned attack on unsuspecting road users.

He explained that when police officers moved in to intercept the gang, they came under gunfire from the suspects and returned fire in self-defence.

The exchange led to the suspects being gunned down, while two other accomplices managed to escape and are currently being pursued by the police.

DCOP Nyaaba told the Media that a search conducted at the scene led to the recovery of two pump-action guns loaded with ammunition, one unbranded pistol, twenty-five (25) live cartridges, and six (6) spent cartridges.

The suspects were rushed to the Bekwai Municipal Hospital for medical attention but were pronounced dead on arrival. Their bodies have since been deposited at the hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

The Regional Commander further disclosed that preliminary investigations indicate the deceased suspects were members of a robbery gang believed to be responsible for several violent crimes in the Ashanti Region.

These include the Jacobu airport robbery on 3 November 2025, which resulted in the death of a security officer, multiple highway robberies along the Manso stretch, the Antoakrom robbery, the Abofour forest robbery near Offinso, and an attack at Anwiankwanta on 8 December 2025.

He added that in a follow-up operation conducted on 26 December 2025 at a palm plantation near Manso Nkwanta, a location believed to be used by the suspects to hide their weapons, police recovered one AK-47 assault rifle, one MG3 rifle, one pump-action gun, and one single-barrel gun, together with ammunition and other personal items.

DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba assured the public that strenuous efforts are underway to trace the sources of the recovered weapons and arrest all accomplices currently at large, stressing the Ghana Police Service’s commitment to ensuring public safety and maintaining law and order across the Ashanti South Region.

He further appealed to the public to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information to aid ongoing security operations.

Story by ABN’s Chukwu Joseph.