Some residents at the robbery scene after the incident
Armed robbers yesterday attacked a bullion van shortly after the vehicle parked at the Star Oil Fuel Station near the ECG office at Ablekuma Fan Milk in Accra.
The robbers targeted two police escorts in the vehicle, shooting and injuring them in the shoulder and abdomen.
The two police escorts, reportedly, engaged their attackers in a firefight, with fifteen shots fired in the encounter.
The daredevil attack is a scary reminder of previous fatal daylight robberies in Accra, one of them leading to the death of a police officer.
The robbers made away with the unspecified amount of cash being conveyed by the vehicle to an unknown location.
It is not known why the driver decided to park at the place when doing so was unwise.
According to an eyewitness, the robbers were driving a black vehicle, and at the time of the attack the recently installed security lights nearby were offline because of a supposed maintenance.
The injured officers were rushed to hospital for treatment, where one of the two officers was confirmed dead.
A police statement which is expected soon would definitely give clarity to this story.
Crime scene cops reportedly rushed to the scene shortly after the firefight.
Following the deadly attack on a bullion van during which a young police officer was killed, the authorities ordered that monies should always be carried by fortified bullion vans.
Police officers sitting in such vehicles are sitting ducks when armed robbers attack.
Mounting such guards from the rear is the most appropriate, experts have said.
Stopping en route the final destination by bullion vans carrying large amounts of money is not advised.
It would be recalled that the Inspector General of Police in 2021 directed that police officers guarding bullions vans be in body armours and ballistic helmets.
Bullion vans should also be guarded by not less than two escorts.
By A.R. Gomda