Police take fight to armed robbers

Pages 24/25: Daily Graphic, November 10, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO suspected members of a bank and bullion van robbery group were killed at the weekend in a crossfire engaged in by both the robbers and the police, who were on an operation that also resulted in the arrest of five other robbers in Accra, Kumasi and Denu.
Two AK47 rifles of the police that earlier had been seized by the suspected armed robbers and a quantity of ammunition were retrieved in the exercise.
Those killed were identified as Dotse Babanawo, alias Thunder or C.K, and another identified only as Dropam, both of whom were said to be the gang leaders.
Those in custody and assisting in investigations include two brothers, Kofi Afoakwa, alias Kofi Rasta alias Not Nice and Yaw Afoakwa alias Dadisen. The others are Isaac Oppong, a driver, Kingsley Lawani or Benin Boy, and Sulley Ibrahim.
Another member of the gang, identified only as Awudu, is reported to have escaped to his native country, Nigeria.
Those arrested have allegedly confessed to taking part in the bank robberies and attacks on bullion vans, which resulted in the death of two policemen, one at the Madina branch of Ecobank and Lashibi-Klagon area three weeks ago, in which the AK47 of the deceased policeman was taken. The other robberies which the robbers allegedly confessed to have been their handiwork were the attacks on Atala Company Ltd, Iron and Paint Company belonging to the Sethi Brothers, Ga Rural Bank at Taifa, St John’s Forex Bureau at Dome and others in Tema.
The most recent attack was on October 27, 2009 in which the gang attacked Antis Company Ltd at Agbogba, where a policeman’s AK 47 rifle was snatched.
Other items retrieved from the five-day exercise, which started from November 2, 2009 to November 7, 2009, included two foreign pistols, two locally manufactured pistols, ammunition, a Ford four-by-four vehicle, a police cap, military camouflage trousers, Air-borne force beret, a military raincoat, a motorbike, a quantity of vehicle number plates, 26 half pieces of cloth, ID cards, a passport, a driver’s licence and other documents.
At a news conference in Accra yesterday to announce the successes of the police in dealing with violent crime, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, noted that 80 per cent of persons involved in robberies that had occurred since the introduction of measures instituted by the Police Administration had been arrested.
He said most of the robberies were closely monitored from their planning stages to the points of commission, thus making it possible for the police to link individual perpetrators to specific crimes, using crime intelligence, crime profiles and other investigative indices.
Mr Quaye, who was flanked by the Director-General of Administration and Welfare, COP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, and the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, attributed the successes so far to the creation of an Intelligence Unit for gathering crime intelligence, re-introduction of informant reward system and re-activation of traditional policing methods, especially day and night patrols.
He said the effects of the positive achievements by the police was the relative peace and tranquillity which members of the public were enjoying, making them go about their legitimate social, economic and political pursuits without undue fear or hindrance.
Mr Quaye, however, said the police were not being fooled into complacency by those achievements, stressing that “we will continue to develop and strengthen the operational strategies adopted with a view to enhancing their effectiveness in combating the ugly spectre of armed robberies”.
He said the Police Administration was identifying the sociological and criminological root causes of the problem so as to bring on board all partner institutions to adopt a holistic and scientific approach towards solving the disturbing phenomenon of armed robbery.
Giving details on the operation which resulted in the arrests, DCOP Atinga said on November 2, 2009, the police went to a house at Agbogba upon a tip-off.
She said a thorough search in the two-room self-contained apartment resulted in the retrieval of an AK 47 rifle and a magazine with eight rounds of ammunition. The AK 47 rifle was later found to be the one snatched from a policeman at Trede, near Kumasi, in Ashanti Region.
She said four armed plain clothes policemen were subsequently detailed to mount surveillance within the house.
DCOP Atinga said on November 5, 2009, a young man, Leonard Shikabli and a lady, Antoinette Ama Shikabli, went to the house at Agbogba and were arrested.
According to her, Ama told the police upon interrogation that she was asked to tidy up the house, which belonged to her sister’s husband, who had been admitted to a hospital in Kumasi.
She said at about 6p.m. that very day, a team of policemen were detailed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where Kofi Afoakwa was on admission.
She said while at the hospital, Yaw Afoakwa, who is the elder brother of Kofi, was arrested when he went on a visit.
DCOP Atinga said upon interrogation, Kofi and Yaw mentioned Isaac Oppong, a resident of Ashaiman, as a member of the gang, who often led the gang in all robberies within the Tema -Ashaiman areas.
She said a search at the residence of Oppong after his arrest resulted in the retrieval of an AK47 rifle (AZ2901) with three magazines containing 16 ammunitions, one silent pistol with one magazine and other items.
DCOP Atinga said Oppong also led the police to Nungua to arrest Benin Boy with the help of some neighbours while Benin Boy’s partner, Dropam, was not in the house.
According to her, at about 5:15a.m. on November 7, 2009, the police trailed Dropam to the Coco Beach at Nungua, and he opened fire on seeing the Benin Boy in the company of the police. Dropam fell dead when the police returned the fire.
DCOP Atinga said later the police managed to lure Thunder from his hideout at Aflao to Denu, on hearing that the suspect was hiding there.
She said when Thunder realised that he had been lured into a police den, he opened fire on the police with the view to escaping but was hit by a police bullet, resulting in his death.