Police hunt alleged Bawku arms supplier after seven robbery suspects arrested

Police in Ghana’s Upper East Region are searching for an alleged weapons supplier in Bawku after arresting seven people suspected of involvement in a series of armed robberies in Zebilla, Garu and Binduri.

The suspects have been remanded in police custody by the Bolgatanga Circuit Court and are expected to reappear on 23 September 2026.

The Upper East Regional Police Command said the arrests followed an intelligence-led operation involving the Police Intelligence Department, the newly established Black Cobra Unit and the Zebilla Community Watchdogs.

Police identified the suspects as Issaka Iddrisu, 20; Ali Tamimu, 21; Akugre Amobila, 26; Banabas Apiiga, 41; Abdul-Rashid Adamu, 38; Apiiga Alebena, 21; and Bilal Adabodee, 31.

According to the command, the seven told investigators that they belonged to a broader network of robbery gangs allegedly operating in the region.

Police said members of the suspected network were supplied with weapons for operations in Zebilla, Garu and Binduri.

These accounts are claims attributed to the police and have not yet been tested in court.

Two alleged robbery victims subsequently reported their cases to police and identified two of the suspects as members of a three-man gang that they said had attacked them at gunpoint.

The victims alleged that the gang took two Yamaha scooter motorbikes valued at GH¢30,000 and GH¢32,000. They also told investigators that the attackers threatened to kill them if they reported the robberies.

The two suspects identified by the victims later admitted their involvement in the alleged attacks, according to the police.

Investigators said the suspects claimed that the weapon used during the robberies had been supplied by a person based in Bawku. That individual allegedly supplied weapons to the group and provided a location where they could be stored.

Police have not disclosed the identity of the alleged supplier or indicated whether the weapon reportedly used in the robberies has been recovered.

A search of the residences of Abdul-Rashid Adamu, Apiiga Alebena and Bilal Adabodee led to the recovery of two unregistered motorbikes, GH¢29,550 in cash and quantities of substances described by police as “hard drugs”.

The substances have not been independently identified in the information released, and no laboratory test results were provided.

Police said they suspected that the recovered cash could be proceeds from criminal activity. That allegation has not been determined by a court.

Investigators are also expected to establish the ownership and origins of the two unregistered motorbikes and determine whether they are connected to any reported robberies.

The police said operations had been intensified to identify and arrest the alleged weapons supplier as investigations into the suspected robbery network continued.

The seven accused persons have not been convicted of the alleged offences and remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court.