In the Upper East Region, a carefully planned intelligence-led operation came to a dramatic head on May 5, 2026, when police in Bolgatanga arrested four men suspected of a string of violent armed robberies.
The suspects, Abdulai Ibrahim, Amadu Rahman, Amadu Sulemana (known on the streets as Saaga), and Adu Yakubu, had allegedly spent months terrorising communities across two regions. Their journey to that fateful day began just 24 hours earlier, on May 4, when investigators say the four converged on Gbane, a mining hub in the Talensi District.
They had travelled from Yagaba and Fumbisi, gathering with one purpose: to rob. And rob they did. According to police, the gang made off with four motorbikes and several mobile phones that night.
But the crime spree went far deeper. Under interrogation, the suspects broke down and confessed to a shocking catalogue of robberies. They admitted to striking fear along the Yagaba-Fumbisi road and the Yagaba-Nanguruma road in the North East Region, as well as several heists at the Gbane mining sites, where they stole gold and large sums of cash from victims.
Perhaps most chilling was their confession about a job on March 22, 2025, a raid on the Vikandi Phone Shop in Bolgatanga that had gone viral on social media. In that now-infamous video, the men could be seen brandishing an AK47 assault rifle with terrifying ease.
Then came the breakthrough. The suspects led officers to a farm near Biung, close to Gbane. There, the gang leader, Amadu Rahman, had hidden his most lethal secret. After a tense search, police unearthed an AK47 rifle, serial number 68100563, along with eighty-seven rounds of live ammunition, all stuffed inside a discarded fertilizer sack.
But as the search concluded, tragedy struck. Suspect Amadu Rahman suddenly collapsed. He was rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. His body now lies at the hospital morgue, awaiting an autopsy.
The remaining three suspects remain in police custody. Authorities say they will face the full rigours of the law in court.
Read the full statement below:
POLICE ARREST FOUR ROBBERY SUSPECTS IN BOLGATANGA
The Ghana Police Service has arrested four suspected armed robbers following an intelligence-led operation in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
The suspects, identified as Abdulai Ibrahim, Amadu Rahman, Amadu Sulemana, also known as Saaga, and Adu Yakubu, were arrested on May 5, 2026. Investigations indicate that on 4th May 2026, the suspects converged at Gbane, a mining community in the Talensi District, after travelling from Yagaba and Fumbisi to carry out a robbery operation, during which they robbed four motorbikes and several mobile phones.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted to a series of robberies within the Talensi District, along the Yagaba Fumbisi road and the Yagaba-Nanguruma road in the North East Region. They also confessed to a robbery at the Vikandi Phone Shop in Bolgatanga on 22nd March 2025, which was captured in a viral video in which they were seen wielding an AK47 assault rifle. They further admitted to multiple robberies at Gbane mining sites, where gold and large sums of money were taken from victims.
The suspects later led Police to a farm near Biung, close to Gbane, where the gang leader, Amadu Rahman, had concealed an AK47 rifle. A search of the area led to the retrieval of the rifle, with serial number 68100563, and eighty-seven (87) rounds of live ammunition hidden in a fertilizer sack.
During the search to retrieve the weapon, suspect Amadu Rahman collapsed and was rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His body has been deposited at the hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
The remaining three suspects are in Police custody and will be put before court to face the full rigours of the law.
Source: Police Service