The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has shot and killed two suspected highway robbers, while a police officer sustained injuries during a gun battle in an intelligence-led operation to retrieve buried weapons.
The operation, conducted between April 25 and 26, 2026, targeted a criminal network believed to be behind a series of roadblock robberies along the Obuasi–Manso Nyinahin stretch and other parts of the country.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, April 28, Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, said the operation was triggered by intelligence that a key suspect, Sumaila Munkaila, also known as “Guda,” was hiding at Vitin in Tamale in the Northern Region. Police arrested the 37-year-old suspect on April 25. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to participating in multiple robberies, including a July 2025 attack on the convoy of His Excellency Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam, and recent roadblock robberies along the Buipe–Tamale and Vizesi–Fumbisi highways.
The suspect later named four accomplices and led police to Savelugu, where another suspect, Umaro Musah, was arrested the same night.
DCOP Nyaaba said the two suspects subsequently guided police to a bush at Yizesi, near Fumbisi in the Upper East Region, where the gang had buried its weapons after their last operation.
However, during a search of the area on April 26, unidentified gunmen opened fire from within the bush, leading to a fierce exchange of gunfire. In the process, the suspects attempted to flee but sustained gunshot wounds, while a police officer was also injured.
They were rushed to the Tamale Government Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival. Their bodies have since been deposited at the Bekwai Municipal Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Police retrieved a cache of weapons from the scene, including a CZ 805 assault rifle loaded with 14 rounds of 5.56x39mm ammunition, an AK-47 rifle with 56 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition, a pump-action gun with six BB cartridges, and a single-barreled gun. Four jackets were also recovered. DCOP Nyaaba indicated that investigations are ongoing, with efforts underway to arrest three other suspects identified as Tongude, Sumaila, and Berra.
He commended officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to tackling violent crime and ensuring safety on the country’s highways.
