Between February 2021 and February 2022, four separate bullion van robbery attacks were recorded across the Greater Accra Region.
While the last of the attacks was unsuccessful, the remaining three saw the robbers making away with various sums of money.
The loss in the series of robberies also includes the death of a police officer who was on escort duty in one of the bullion vans as well as a pregnant woman who fell victims to the robbery escapades.
The Ghana Police Service in a statement on March 7, 2022, announced a major breakthrough in its investigations into the series of robberies and in a plot twist, the announcement included the implication of some police officers in the four robbery incidents.
We compile the series of developments that have followed the March 7, announcement by the Ghana Police Service below:
Two police officers arrested over involvement in bullion van robberies
In announcing what it tagged as a breakthrough in its investigations, the Ghana Police Service in its release said it had established through investigations, the involvement of two police officers among a number of suspects in the bullion van attacks.
“Preliminary investigations have established the involvement of two policemen among a number of other suspects. The investigations are continuing and we expect to soon bring all culpable people to face justice,” the police said.
The police service indicated that the breakthrough in the investigations was linked to four incidents including one at Kingsway somewhere in February 2021, at Baatsona, Spintex, in March 2021, Jamestown, Adedenkpo, in June 2021 and a recent attempted robbery at North Kaneshie Industrial Area, in February 2022.
The statement however failed to list the name of the officers with the promise of further updates and investigations.
Two arrested police officers killed in gunfire
A day after announcing the breakthrough and the announcement of two officers, the Ghana Police Service in a new release indicated that the two officers initially arrested in connection with the robberies had been killed.
According to the police, it carried out an intelligence-led raid at the hideout of the gang connected with bullion van robberies and the two officers who were leading the police to the hideout died after sustaining gunshots in a shootout.
This time, the identities of the two officers who according to the police were pronounced dead on arrival at the police hospital were given.
“During the raid at Borteyman near Ashiaman, there was an exchange of gunshots and two policemen, No.58284 Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah and No. 53549 L/Cpl Stephen Kwaku Nyame who had been arrested in connection with the Bullion Van Robberies, were shot and were pronounced dead on arrival at the police hospital where they were rushed for treatment. Some other suspects believed to have sustained gunshot wounds managed to escape from the scene,” the statement released on March 8, 2022, stated.
Four more police officers arrested
In the same release on March 7, the Police Service said five more suspects including four police officers had been arrested in connection with the robberies following further investigations.
“The policemen involved have been interdicted and all the suspects, No. 58370 Const. Affisu Yaro Ibrahim, No 58355 Const. Richard Boadu, No. 58525 Const Rabiu Jambedu, No. 58586 Const Albert Ofosu and suspect Razak Alhassan (a civilian) will be arraigned before court tomorrow Wednesday, 9th March 2022,” the statement said.
The statement added that five more civilian suspects connected to the robberies were being pursued by the police.
Police clarify events leading to the death of two suspect officers
The Director-General of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Kwesi Ofori, later clarified what led to the killing of two policemen at Borteyman near Ashaiman.
According to him, the two policemen who were in police custody were leading the police to the hideout of the suspected criminal gang.
“An intelligence-led field operation took off and in the process, there was heavy exchange of fire and the two sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to the police hospital in Accra but they later passed on,” Mr Kwesi Ofori said while providing a clarification in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Joy FM on Wednesday morning [March 9, 2022].
“So let us understand this, that in police operations, there are high risks in nature and at the time the raid took place, it was very serious and well-targeted operation. Even as I speak to you, we’ve arrested four policemen, one other civilian and they will be put before court,” Ofori added.
Public Reactions to arrest of police officers related to bullion van attacks
Despite the praise earned by the police service for its breakthrough in investigations into the bullion van robberies, several concerns have been shared following the revelation of police involvement in the said attacks.
Other concerns also have to do with the circumstance under which the two police officers who became suspects in the case lost their lives.
Such concerns have been shared by Foreign Policy and Security Analyst, Adib Saani who has questioned incidents leading to the deaths of two policemen.
Adib Saani has indicated that circumstances surrounding their deaths are questionable “and some people are conjecturing that some top officers in the police service were involved in the crime. Because they feared the arrested persons would give out information to their arrests, they killed them.”
According to him, the information given by the police on their deaths does not make sense.
“I read the statement repeatedly to make sure I was getting everything right but it doesn’t stick. It is a non-starter,” he told Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political talk show.
From the security point of view, he posited that a suspect in custody should ideally be in handcuffs and not be actively involved in a raid. “All they needed to do was to point out other suspects and it doesn’t make sense that they were the only two who died.”
Meanwhile, security and safety analyst, Dr Kaziyiri Adam Bonaa has called for a review of processes in the recruitment into the country’s security services.
Dr. Bonaa has also asked for thorough background checks to be conducted on all persons recruited into the police service over the last 10 years.
Source: ghanaweb
