One police officer was shot dead, while another was injured by some assailants.

The suspects were said to be on a robbery mission in the area, but shot the policemen to prevent him from thwarting their operation.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Y7yHq39KAsCrgeErPGVwvJIt3UyNPOwa”]The two assailants, who came to the area on an unregistered motorbike abandoned it, snatched an unregistered Hyundai Elantra saloon vehicle, and sped off towards Mallam Junction direction.”

Briefing the media on the matter today [Thursday], the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, said the five suspects included the two who shot the police officers.

“…Five persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of constable Daniel Owusu, who was shot dead by armed robbers in Accra on 13^th July 2017, while he was performing a patrol duty.”

“They are Benjamin Nii Lantey Flexi Boye, age, 27, Kassim Mukaila alias Ekpe, 30 years, Laila Mohammed, 20 years, Musah Ibrahim, alias Moses can do, 27, and Abass Abdulai, 36. Kassim Mukaila and alias Ekpe and Musah Ibrahim were the suspects who shot, but went into hiding immediately after the incident until recently when they were arrested,” he added.

Two Kwabenya fugitives, two armed robbers arrested

The IGP also announced that, two of the seven suspects who escaped from the Kwabenya Police station last Sunday, after armed assailants broke into the station and released them, have been rearrested.

He said they were arrested at Worawora in the Volta Region.

He also added that three persons who aided the escape of the fugitives, including a 28-year-old woman, have also been arrested.

“We have since arrested two of the fugitives on Tuesday 23rd January at Worawora in the Volta Region. They are Atta Kwadwo and Prince Osei. Also, two accomplices who aided the escape of the fugitives were arrested in Accra on Monday 22nd January 2018, and yesterday [Wednesday], 24th January 2018,” the IGP said.

He noted that “these include a 28-year old woman named Nancy Bentah alias Awura Ama. The other is George Yeboah Ackah, aka Kwesi Shower, adding that, “One more person, Kofi Acheampong, alias Nana Owuo, aged 32, was also arrested at Afienya.”

He also said a GHc15,000 reward package has been set aside for persons who may give the police information leading to the arrest of the rest of the criminals.

“A reward of GHc15, 000 awaits any person who gives credible information leading to their arrest.”

Heightened fears

Such cases of attack on police officers seem to have heightened fears in the country with a number of people feeling insecure.

The IGP also used the opportunity to allay such fears, saying the country is safe.

“I take this opportunity to once again assure the good people of Ghana and the international community to remain calm, and support the Ghana Police,” Mr. Asante-Apeatu added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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Identified as Lance Corporal Robert Kumi Ackah of the Tamale Rapid Deployment Force, he was said to have been mistaken to be an armed robber by his colleagues and killed near Dawadawa, on the Buipe-Kintampo stretch of the highway.

The OA bus, with registration number GE 6402-14, he was escorting was heading towards the north and encountered armed robbers on the road between Buipe and Kintampo.

Bus driver’s narration

According to the bus driver, Eric Lawson who narrated the incident on Accra based radio station, Okay FM, when they got to the spot, they were told some armed men had blocked the road between Kawampe and Gulumpe, and they saw a number of vehicles had parked.

He said Lance Corporal Ackah, who was armed with an AK 47 but was in mufti went out of the bus and fired warning shots. When he saw the robbers fleeing, he asked the bus driver to do a u-turn and move towards safety until reinforcement arrived.

Whilst moving, a police patrol team was said to have arrived and so the escorting officer asked the driver to do another turn and follow the patrol vehicle closely.

When they got to the robbery scene, where the road had been blocked, the escorting officer went out of the bus and moved towards the patrol vehicle, but according to the driver, before he got close, the patrol vehicle moved ahead and so Lance Corporal Ackah waited at where the road block was and fired warning shots.

The patrol officers then turned and on reaching the scene, they were said to have fired at their colleague.

Police version

Meanwhile according to the police, the patrol team, which had responded to a distress call on the Kintampo-Buipe highway, gunned down Lance Corporal Ackah because of mistaken identity.

Police preliminary investigations revealed that at about 2.30am, a patrol team on Kintampo – Buipe highway had information that some armed men had blocked the road between Kawampe and Gulumpe.

The team proceeded to the scene and saw about 20 cars parked alongside the road, according to a police SITREP [situational report], seen by the Daily Graphic.

They were said to have maneuverer to the scene where the armed robbers and the robbers reportedly opened fire on the patrol team.

The team also returned fire immediately and bypassed the scene to a distance and turned back to the scene.

At the scene, they spotted someone in mufti with a riffle standing in the mist of the passengers who were lying down.

The patrol team were said to have mistakenly took him to be a robber and shot him in the thigh, the SITREP said.

After some minutes, the O. A. driver by name Eric Lawson with registration number GE 6402-14 approached the patrol team and informed them that they heard of the robbery and parked at a distance but their police escort proceeded to the scene of the robbery and identified the escort who was mistakenly shot by the team as their escort they are moving with.

Injured

The policeman and three others namely, 8-year-old Cynthia Ayaab, Kwabena Sarfo, 44 and Gurusom Bashiru, 28 were sent to Kintampo Hospital but the policeman died on arrival.

The body has been deposited at the hospital morgue whilst the injured are receiving treatment.

The Police further combed the area to find out if anybody had been wounded or shot dead but to no avail.

The police said 11 empty AA cartridges were found at the scene, one AK riffle with the number 172194 and 34 ammunitions were also retrieved.

–

Source: Graphic.com.gh

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