The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has recovered multiple high-powered firearms and ammunition following a series of intelligence-led operations targeting suspected armed robbery gangs operating in parts of the region.
On December 26, 2025, at about 0600 hours, the Ashanti South Regional Commander, DCOP Joseph Nyaaba, deployed officers and men to conduct a search in a palm plantation near Manso Nkwanta, where suspects were believed to have concealed some firearms. At about 1430 hours, the team identified a covered trench beneath a palm tree.
Upon excavation, officers recovered four rifles, including an AK47 assault rifle loaded with 18 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition, an MG.3 rifle loaded with one 7.62×51mm round, a pump-action gun (Muzzler 12) loaded with seven AA cartridges, and a loaded single-barrel gun.
Also found at the scene were a black hood, a pair of multicoloured sneakers, a pair of black slippers and a pair of black bathroom slippers.
Police say investigations are ongoing to trace the sources of the recovered weapons.
The recovery follows an earlier operation conducted on December 24, 2025, after police gathered intelligence on suspects identified as Seidu, Tijani and others wanted in connection with several robberies and killings in Manso, Jacobu, Anwiankwanta and surrounding communities.
Intelligence indicated that the gang had converged in a bush between Anwiankwanta and the Jacobu junction and was preparing to launch an attack along the Anwiankwanta–Obuasi Highway.
Acting on the information, police deployed four service vehicles, both branded and unbranded, and raided the suspected hideout near Anwiankwanta. Upon arrival, officers encountered about five young men wielding firearms.
The suspects opened fire on the police and attempted to flee through the bush. Police returned fire, during which three suspects sustained gunshot injuries, while two others, believed to have also been injured, managed to escape.
Items retrieved from the scene included two pump-action guns loaded with six rounds of ammunition each, an unbranded pistol, and a sack containing 25 live cartridges and six spent cartridges.
The injured suspects were identified as Seidu Issah, aged 29, Musah Yakubu, aged 35, and Yahaya Munkaila, also known as Tijani, aged 25. They were rushed to the Bekwai Municipal Hospital for medical attention but were pronounced dead on arrival. Their bodies have since been deposited at the hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
According to police, the suspects admitted involvement in multiple robberies within the Jacobu and Manso areas, including a robbery at the Jacobu airport on November 3, 2025, during which a security man was killed.
They also confessed to several highway robberies along the Manso stretch, including an incident at Antoakrom about two months ago, a robbery at Abofour Forest near Offinso on May 23, 2025, and an attack on a gold buyer at Anwiankwanta on December 8, 2025.
During interrogation, suspect Tijani allegedly mentioned accomplices identified as Issah Jordorma of Asante Mampong, Seidu Haruna of Nyinahin, and Ibrahim, Seidu Balli and Abubakar, all of Offinso Kokote, claiming that some AK47 rifles had been hidden in bushes at Manso and Obuasi.
Police say efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects and retrieve all concealed weapons as investigations continue.
