The owner of the Hyundai Tucson, in whose boot three young boys were found dead in Tamale, has been arrested and taken to Accra to assist detectives. The development comes as the Inspector-General of Police deploys a special investigative team to the Northern Region capital to help establish what happened to the children. The victims, Dauda Abdul Aziz, 3, Saani Alsharaf, 5, and Dauda Fadilan, 7, had left their homes on Sunday, October 4, 2026, to attend Quranic lessons but never returned.
The children's bodies were discovered at around 5am on Monday, October 5, in the boot of a black Hyundai Tucson with registration number AS 1770-14. The vehicle had become stuck in mud on a road leading to Koblimahagu Zoo in the Tamale Metropolis. According to reports, community members had searched for the boys through the day without success. The grim discovery was first reported by Chale News on October 5.
A preliminary inspection of the Tucson showed that the driver's door and the rear passenger door behind the driver's seat were open, while the other doors, including the boot where the bodies were found, were locked. Investigations so far indicate the vehicle belongs to a member of the Ghana Immigration Service. The owner reportedly told police the car had been stuck in the mud for five days before the bodies were found.
The Inspector-General of Police has sent a special team to Tamale comprising homicide investigators, crime scene experts, and intelligence officers. The team is expected to work alongside the Northern Regional Police Command to strengthen the probe into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The police have not disclosed the cause of death of the three children.
Police have declined a request from the children's families to release the bodies for burial according to Islamic customs, saying an autopsy is required to support the investigation. Authorities have assured the grieving parents that the state will cover the costs associated with the post-mortem examination. The case has shaken residents of Tamale, raising questions about safety for young children walking to and from religious schools in the city.
For families across the Northern Region who send children to early-morning Quranic lessons, the case underscores concerns about how quickly a child can go missing and the delays communities faced before police and forensic resources were mobilised. The police say investigations are ongoing, but no timeline has been given for when the autopsy results will be released or when the homicide team's findings will be made public.
It remains unclear how the children came to be inside the vehicle's boot or how long they had been there before discovery. These questions are now expected to be addressed by the newly deployed homicide investigators and crime scene experts. The police have confirmed that the vehicle has been secured for forensic examination.
Key points
- The owner of the Hyundai Tucson has been arrested and taken to Accra to assist detectives.
- A special homicide team has been deployed to Tamale to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
- The police have ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death of the three children.
