The Upper East Regional Police Command in Ghana reported that three men suspected of belonging to a robbery gang were killed during an operation to recover the group's hidden weapons. The suspects, identified as Amadu Apiiga, 33, Philip Vokbilla, and Bilal Adabode, alias Sulley, were shot after leading a police team to a site in Tilly Forest where the gang was said to have concealed rifles.
According to the police, the three suspects had been cooperating with investigators and guided officers to the forest location where the weapons were reportedly stashed. However, once there, the team came under gunfire, and in the exchange, the three suspects and two police officers sustained injuries. The officers were said to be receiving medical treatment, while other individuals believed to have been wounded in the shooting fled before they could be apprehended.
The operation yielded a substantial haul, including two locally made single-barrel guns, two pistols — among them a BRUNI 92 loaded with 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition — and 18 live BB cartridges. Also seized were three sharp cutlasses, four unregistered Yamaha Aerox scooters, a pair of boots, a motorbike number plate, and two mobile phones.
The gang has been linked to a string of robberies targeting motorbike riders and mobile money vendors in Benaba, Binduri, Pusiga, Garu, Zebilla and nearby communities. The suspects were also connected to the killing of a police officer during a robbery at Zebilla on 8 February 2026. Six other alleged members of the group were already in custody assisting investigators.
Police say efforts are continuing to trace remaining members and establish where the group's weapons originated. The Upper East shooting follows a similar incident earlier this month in the capital, where Accra police shot dead a suspected robber and recovered an AK-47 near Agbogbloshie. This incident underscores a recurring pattern of fatal confrontations during weapons-recovery operations across the country.
The deaths of three suspects during an operation in which they were reportedly assisting police raises questions about the circumstances of the shootout. Mobile money agents and motorbike riders — commonly known as okada riders in Ghana — are often targeted by armed robbers because they handle cash and travel alone on isolated roads.
Police say investigations continue into the six suspects already in custody and efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest remaining gang members, as well as to trace the source of the recovered weapons. The Upper East Regional Police Command has appealed to the public to report anyone found with suspected gunshot wounds to the nearest police station to assist the inquiry.
Key points
- The police recovered a substantial haul of weapons, including two locally made single-barrel guns and a BRUNI 92 pistol loaded with 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
- The gang was blamed for a string of robberies targeting motorbike riders and mobile money vendors in several communities in the Upper East Region.
- The incident raises questions about the circumstances of the shootout and the deaths of the three suspects during an operation in which they were reportedly assisting police.
