By Franklin Asare-Donkoh
The Western North Regional Police Command has arrested five men for allegedly posing as National Security operatives to carry out a robbery at a mining site.
The suspects have been identified as Iddrisu Abdalla (20), Abdul Rahaman Abubakar (21), Okasha Mohammed (19), Toffic Bawa (24) and Richard Gyapong (35).
They were apprehended following a series of reported criminal activities in Sefwi Bekwai and its environs.
Police say the group dressed in security-style uniforms to gain unauthorised access to mining sites, where they allegedly intimidated workers and carried out robberies, including the theft of equipment and other valuables.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led surveillance operation by the regional police command. Officers initially intercepted three of the suspects on an unregistered motorbike after they failed to stop at the Mpesiem Police snap checkpoint.
Addressing journalists at a press conference at the regional police headquarters in Sefwi-Wiawso, the Regional Commander, DCOP Dr Francis Kwame Tsidi, said the suspects were arrested on April 2, 2026, at about 18:00 GMT, following intelligence reports.
He explained that the group, dressed in National Security attire, had been moving through communities around Suiaboi, including mining sites, demanding documentation from miners and seizing items under the guise of official duties.
During interrogation, some suspects claimed to be affiliated with state institutions. Amponsah Asare Wagan allegedly presented himself as a medical doctor, a relative of a senior security official and a branch communications officer of the NDC at Kwadaso.
Others, including Nelson Agbodzah and Awedagah Norbert, claimed links to National Security operations at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and the NADMO office at Nhyeaso. Francis Brefo also claimed to be a National Security operative.
However, police investigations have debunked these claims, revealing that at least two of the suspects, Amponsah Asare Wagan and Francis Brefo, are unemployed and have no links to National Security.
Preliminary investigations have linked the group to multiple robbery incidents in the Bekwai area. The suspects are currently in police custody and assisting with further investigations into their network and activities.
Police said the operation was premeditated. Amponsah Asare Wagan is believed to have assembled the group in Kumasi under the pretext of gathering intelligence in Bibiani, but later redirected them to a mining site at Suiaboi in the Dadieso area.
At the site, the suspects allegedly damaged mining equipment, ransacked workers’ rooms and made away with mobile phones and GH¢2,000.
A search of a vehicle rented from a Kumasi-based company led to the retrieval of several items, including two car batteries, three water pumping machines, a starter, a hose, a metal object suspected to be part of an excavator, five mobile phones, a bunch of keys, a live AA cartridge and a pair of military camouflage trousers.
Police say Amponsah Asare Wagan has confessed to orchestrating the operation, claiming he was contracted by a former employee of the mining site, identified only as Yaw, who allegedly sought to expose the activities of his former employer.
Authorities have obtained documentation from the car rental company to support ongoing investigations.
The suspects are expected to be arraigned before court after investigations are completed.
The Ghana Police Service has reiterated its warning to the public to verify the credentials of individuals claiming to be security officials and to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
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Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com