The Police have zeroed in on the brains behind the series of armed robberies that rocked the country recently, including the fatal bullion van robbery that left a policeman and a woman dead.
There are 21 suspected armed robbers the law enforcement agency has declared wanted, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) COP/Mr. Ken Yeboah told the media on Wednesday during a briefing in Accra.
The police, he said, suspects that the Adedenkpo bullion van robbery which led to the death of Constable Emmanuel Osei, the attack on a forex bureau at Osu Honey Suckle, Aburi, and some parts of the country were perpetrated by those on the wanted list.
Lead Suspect
“We strongly believed that these are the boys recruited by one Joseph Abrefa Ampah, aka Busia, or Nana, or Dada or Dr, a 47-year-old notorious armed robber who is also the director in charge of Tropical Heritage, an NGO located at Sapeiman in the Greater Accra Region,” COP Yeboah disclosed.
He said Abrefa has recruited five different robbery gangs he uses to operate within three regions including Accra, Ashanti, and Eastern regions.
Wanted Gang
The wanted armed robbers include Aaron, a suspect who was involved in the attack of the former Minister and now National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, in 2012.
COP Yeboah also mentioned names like Rafiu, Pump Action, Advert, Obinna, Sunday Tubazor, Vincent, BP, (all Nigerians), Hakim, Sulley, Jordan, Bebe, Issah Salami, Ahmed Ali, and Christian.
The rest are Azziz aka Baa Lose, Hakim (described by the police as a notorious criminal), Awudu from Ashaiman, Alhassan also from Ashaiman, Sageo Sunday of Asutsuare in the Eastern Region, Jogo aka Dogo of Afienya.
He said the police have since secured a warrant from the court for their immediate arrests.
The suspects, the CID boss said, are believed to be hiding in various places within the country and as well as in Nigeria, but added that they will work hard to track them down.
According to the CID boss, Abrefa was arrested at Sapeiman for his involvement in a series of robberies and said he was behind the robbery in which bars of gold and an unspecified amount of money were stolen.
He said Abrefa and his gang in the course of the robbery shot and snatched the victim’s vehicle, but later abandoned it at a place called Akooko Junction.
He said investigations have revealed that the suspect established five robbery gangs to which he provided weapons and ammunition.
“He and his gang have attacked and robbed victims at gunpoint and in some instances, have killed their victims. They have also snatched vehicles from their victims,” the CID boss added.
The CID boss said apart from the numerous robberies Abrefa had led, he and his gang on June 7, 2021, attacked one Bashiru Abdulai and robbed him of GH¢550,000 near Novotel Hotel – Accra.
On June 15, 2021, Abrefa and his gang also attacked and robbed the owner of an unregistered Nissan Navara pick-up at gunpoint under the pretext of buying the vehicle, adding that the vehicle had been retrieved.
“Our investigations have also revealed that suspect was also involved in the daylight robbery attack on a bullion van on the Spintex Road in Accra,” the CID boss stated.
Accomplices Arrested
One Rashid Seidu, 25, a motorbike repairer from Bawku and a resident of Russia, Accra, and believed to be a member of the Abrefa gang, was arrested and in his possession were two foreign pistols and some AK 47 live ammunitions.
“He belongs to Abrefa’s gang who also attacked a victim at Kyebi and took away his vehicle, attacked and murdered a mobile money vendor in Kumasi and snatched another vehicle in Accra.”
He said Rashid during his arrest admitted his involvement in a series of robberies with Abrefa and the other gang.
On May 28, 2019, they also attacked Haruna Jamfara and robbed him of GH¢360,000 at Dawhenya, and killed him in the process.
“On October 7, 2019, they again attacked Abel Jabril Mohammed and robbed him of an unspecified amount of money and shot him six times in the stomach at Kawukudi, Accra,” the CID boss disclosed.
On October 16, 2019, the gang again robbed Umar Zuru of GH¢80,000, and 17,000 CFA at Tema Community One.
On March 27, 2021, at 9 pm, Abrefa, Hakim, Azziz, Ben, Vincent, Rashid, Seidu, attacked and robbed momo vendor by the name Richard Siaw at gunpoint, and during the said operation the suspects took GH¢10,000 and fled in his unregistered Navara pickup.
He added that on June 25, 2021, at Kyebi, the police arrested Musa Kamara, 26, a member of the Abrefa gang who admitted to taking part in four robberies.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey