Police in Ghana's Greater Accra Region arrested 64 people suspected of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition during a raid on a lounge near Achimota Mile 7. The special operation was carried out by the Office of the Special Operations Assistant to the Inspector General of Police and the National SWAT unit. The raid followed complaints from residents about suspected criminal activity at the venue, including reports that firearms were being openly displayed and possibly traded there.
During the operation, police recovered three pump action guns, five pistols and various rounds of ammunition. Among the vehicles at the scene, officers identified an unregistered blue Acura and discovered a pistol holster inside it. With no one on site willing to admit ownership, police impounded the vehicle and had it conveyed to Police Headquarters for further investigation.
One suspect, identified as Theophilus Ashon, reportedly told police he was an officer with the Criminal Investigations Department Operations unit. However, checks by police established that Ashon was not a serving officer, and a subsequent search on him turned up a Smith & Wesson pistol loaded with six rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Investigations then led police to Atico, where another suspect, Michael Emmanuel Kingsley Mills, was arrested. A search of his residence produced a further haul of three pump action guns, four pistols, 62 AA and BB cartridges, and 54 rounds of 40 calibre ammunition, among other items.
The Achimota operation adds to a string of recent police actions targeting illegal firearms and violent crime across Ghana. This includes a fatal police operation near Agbogboloshie in Accra in which a suspected robber was killed and an AK-47 seized, as well as a weapons raid in the Upper East Region that left three robbery suspects dead.
For residents around Achimota Mile 7, the operation follows their own complaints about firearms being openly displayed and possibly sold at the lounge. The scale of the seizure — eight firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition from a single operation, plus more weapons later recovered at a suspect's home — underscores concerns about how easily such weapons may be circulating in parts of Accra.
All 64 suspects remain in custody assisting with investigations and are expected to be arraigned before court once the investigations are completed. No court date has yet been announced. Investigations into the unclaimed pistol holster and the impounded Acura are also ongoing, with no findings released so far on who the vehicle or holster belongs to.
Key points
- 64 people were arrested and multiple firearms and ammunition were seized during the raid.
- An unregistered vehicle with a pistol holster was impounded and investigations are ongoing.
- The operation is part of a wider crackdown on illegal firearms and violent crime in Ghana.
