An intelligence-led operation by the Ashanti South Regional Police Command has led to the death of three suspected armed robbers and the retrieval of multiple high-powered firearms, following a fierce shootout near Anwiankwanta in the Ashanti Region.

According to a regional situation report, “police had gathered actionable intelligence on a notorious robbery gang linked to a series of violent crimes, including robberies and killings in Manso, Jacobu, Anwiankwanta and surrounding communities.”

The suspects, identified as Seidu, Tijani and their accomplices, were reportedly planning an attack along the Anwiankwanta–Obuasi Highway.

“On December 24, 2025, police received information that the gang had converged in a bush between Anwiankwanta and the Jacobu junction in preparation for the planned robbery, “a police report said.

An intelligence-led operation was immediately mounted, with police deploying four service vehicles, both branded and unbranded.

“Upon arriving at the suspected hideout near Anwiankwanta, officers spotted about five armed young men,” the report added.

Police say the suspects opened fire upon seeing the officers and attempted to flee through the bush. Officers tactically returned fire, resulting in three suspects sustaining gunshot injuries. Two other suspects, also believed to have been wounded, managed to escape into the bush.

A search of the scene led to the recovery of two pump-action guns, each loaded with six rounds of ammunition and one unbranded pistol. Police also retrieved 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. All were described as Fulani herdsmen.

Before their deaths, the suspects reportedly confessed to several armed robberies in the Jacobu and Manso areas, including the robbery at the Jacobu airport on November 3, 2025, during which a security guard was killed. They also admitted to multiple highway robberies along the Manso stretch, including an attack at Antoakrom about two months ago.

Further confessions linked them to a robbery at Abofour Forest near Offinso on May 23, 2025, and the robbery of a gold buyer at Anwiankwanta on December 8, 2025.

Suspect Tijani additionally implicated several accomplices, naming Issah Jordorma of Asante Mampong, Seidu Haruna of Nyinahin and Ibrahim, Seidu Balli and Abubakar, all of Offinso Kokote. He claimed that some AK-47 assault rifles had been hidden in bushes at Manso and Obuasi.

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The three injured suspects were rushed to the Bekwai Municipal Hospital for medical treatment but were pronounced dead on arrival. Their bodies have since been deposited at the hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

In a follow-up operation on December 26, 2025, the Ashanti South Regional Commander, DCOP Joseph Nyaaba, deployed officers to conduct a search in a palm plantation near Manso Nkwanta, where the suspects allegedly hid additional weapons.

At about 2:30 p.m., officers discovered a covered trench beneath a palm tree. Upon digging, the team recovered four firearms: one AK-47 assault rifle loaded with 18 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition, one MG.3 rifle loaded with a 7.62×51mm round, one pump-action gun loaded with seven AA cartridges and one loaded single-barrel gun.

Other items retrieved included 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 source of the high-powered weapons and to arrest the remaining accomplices who are currently at large.

The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has reiterated its commitment to combating armed robbery and ensuring the safety of residents and road users across the region.






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