Police to crack whip on gangster groups

The Police administration says it will not hesitate to crack the whip on individual gangster groups used to perpetrate criminal activities across the country.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Kwesi Ofori, said the police were working to reduce activities of the gangs.

The warning comes in the wake of the recent bloody clashes that ensued between two opposing groups from Nima and Maamobi, both suburbs of Accra.

“Gangsterism of this height will not be accepted by the Ghana Police Service, and we will do whatever it takes to make sure we nip them in the bud and dismantle their network.

“So far, Police have said the tensions were the latest attempts to ‘lord over each other’, though the exact cause of Tuesday’s violence remains unknown. There have been occasions where they have had a lot of fights at the lower level without coming to the light,” ACP Ofori said.

According to him, the gangs had been hauled before the Municipal Security Council as well as Nima Police two years ago and were bonded.

Touching on the recent eruption of violence in some parts of Accra, he said three people were seriously wounded but no fatalities had been recorded while one person was shot in the violence and is currently been treated at the 37 Military Hospital.

He said some gang members had refused to go to the hospital, and are nursing their wounds elsewhere, but police intelligence out there will definitely get those who were involved in the violence.

Arrest

ACP Kwesi Ofori disclosed that two more persons are in the grips of the Police over their alleged role in the sporadic shooting incident. This brings to nine the number of suspects arrested in connection with the clashes, after seven persons were earlier arrested over the shoot-out.

“So far, we have arrested nine people; two people were arrested at a place where they decided to go but thanks to the effective intel of the Police Service, in collaboration with the good people of this country, we arrested two of them with weapons and unregistered motorbikes. As I speak to you, they are in custody assisting with investigations,” said.

The suspects are Abdul Aziz Sulewa, Imoro Ibrahim, Bashir Ganiu, Mohammed Bariu and Akaruwa Bassa.

Others include Gariba Abdul Mohammed, Abdul Gafaru Mohammed, Issah Seidu and Eliasu Salim.

One more person from the gang has been hospitalised, bringing those receiving medical attention to three.

Items retrieved include a pump-action gun, security uniform, ammunition, pistols, among others.