Grabbed! The four suspects
The Nsuta Circuit Court in the Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region has remanded four persons into police custody over their alleged involvement in a series of armed robberies targeting gold dealers and mining sites across three regions.
The case has been adjourned to September 23, 2026, for further proceedings, as police investigations continue into the alleged activities of the suspects and their accomplices.
The four—30-year-old tailor Issah Musa; 33-year-old alluvial miner Clinton Mawuli Ashirow; 33-year-old mobile money vendor and former soldier Duker Prince; and 25-year-old student Wilfred Quansah—are alleged to be linked to a seven-member armed robbery gang.
The gang is said to have operated in parts of the Ashanti, Central and Western North regions, allegedly attacking gold shops, gold buyers and mining sites.
The accused persons were remanded by the presiding judge, His Lordship Simon Nketiah Gagah, on Friday, September 11, 2026, after the prosecution told the court that investigations were still ongoing.
Chief Inspector C.K. Gyesi, who led the prosecution, told the court that the complainants were personnel of the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) of the Ashanti North Police Region in Mampong.
The prosecution said the investigation began following an alleged attack on a policewoman stationed at the Offinso Divisional Police Command.
According to the prosecution, the policewoman, whose name was withheld, was attacked at about 10:30 p.m. on August 12, 2026, while returning home after duty and was allegedly raped at gunpoint.
A joint team comprising personnel from the Ashanti North Regional PID, Ashanti Central and Ashanti South regions, together with the IGP’s Special Operations Team, popularly known as Black Maria, was subsequently deployed to track down the perpetrators.
Musa was arrested at DuPaul, Offinso, on August 18, 2026, in connection with the alleged attack and rape.
However, investigators allegedly uncovered a much wider robbery operation involving Musa and other suspects.
The prosecution told the court that Musa was allegedly a member of a robbery gang that had been terrorising gold shops and mining sites at Manso in the Ashanti Region, Diaso, Ayanfuri and Assin Kusha in the Central Region, as well as Wassa Akropong in the Western North Region.
Musa allegedly told investigators that he was recruited into the gang in January 2026 by Seidu Salifu, who is now deceased, after being promised substantial financial gains.
GH¢20m Gold Robbery
The court heard that on January 28, 2026, Musa and six other members of the gang, five of whom were allegedly armed with AK-47 rifles, attacked a gold merchant’s shop at Diaso.
The gang allegedly made away with gold valued at a staggering GH¢20 million.
The prosecution said Musa admitted in his investigation caution statement that he participated in the robbery and received GH¢18,000 as his share of the proceeds.
He reportedly named Seidu Salifu, Master, Abedi, Trouble, Fuseini and Billy as his accomplices.
Musa, however, denied any knowledge of the alleged rape of the policewoman.
More Robberies
Further intelligence allegedly led investigators to Ashirow, Prince and Quansah, who were arrested at Dodowa, Odorkor and Brahabebome-Obuasi respectively.
The prosecution said Ashirow had allegedly been recruited into the gang by three persons whose names were withheld from the court.
In 2024, Ashirow, together with Abedi and Master, allegedly embarked on their first robbery operation at a galamsey site at Manso.
Armed with an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun, the trio allegedly attacked miners and made away with an unspecified quantity of gold.
The gold was sold and the proceeds shared among the gang members, with Ashirow allegedly receiving GH¢5,000.
A month later, Ashirow, Abedi and Master allegedly returned to another mining site at Manso and again robbed miners of gold.
Ashirow reportedly received GH¢18,000 from that operation.
The prosecution further alleged that Musa, Abedi, Master and Billy later attacked a gold buyer riding a motorbike at Ayanfuri.
The stolen gold was sold, with Musa allegedly receiving GH¢200,000 as his share of the proceeds.
Ex-Soldier Linked
Prince, the court heard, was formerly a Lance Corporal in the Ghana Armed Forces, attached to the Infantry Unit at 4BN, Burma Camp.
The prosecution said he resigned from the military on personal grounds on July 27, 2026.
However, before his resignation, Prince allegedly made contact with Abedi and Master, whom investigators identified as members of Musa’s alleged gang, in July 2025.
He was allegedly invited to join them at a galamsey site at Assin Kusha, an invitation he reportedly accepted.
A month later, Prince allegedly took a pass from his military unit and travelled to Obuasi, where he met Abedi, Master, Billy and Driver.
The prosecution said the group subsequently travelled to Assin Kusha in the Central Region, where they allegedly robbed miners of gold.
Prince reportedly admitted receiving GH¢6,000 as his share, with the money allegedly handed to him by Master and Abedi at Akaporiso, a suburb of Obuasi.
AK-47s, Ammunition
Quansah was also arrested at his residence at Brahabebome, Obuasi.
The prosecution alleged that Abedi, described as a member of the robbery gang, had concealed three AK-47 rifles and 350 rounds of ammunition in the ceiling of Quansah’s room.
The court further heard that investigation caution statements were obtained from the accused persons, in which they allegedly admitted involvement in the offences.
The accused persons were not called upon to enter pleas because investigations are still ongoing.
They were subsequently remanded into police custody.
FROM David Afum, Nsuta