A special collaboration between the Volta Regional Police and residents of two communities has led to the arrest of 17 Fulanis who have been terrorising and robbing travellers on the Kwamekrom-Tapa-Abotoase highway. The Police swooped on them at their hideout on the highway after they had robbed passengers of a Metro Mass Transit bus travelling from Dambai. They are Abubakar Muhammed, Muhammedu Gariba, Muhammadu Abubakar, Abu Moro Abubakar Aliu and lbrahim Mohammed. Others are Hassan Jalo, Alhaji Abubakar Mohama, Amodu Sta, Mahammadu Guro Mahammadu Bello and Bukari Ali. The rest are Mohamadu Ali Mohammadu Uomani, Mamah Gariba, Abudu Ba and Hassan Usmar. According to the police, their modus operandi was that one of them boarded a bus and then alerted the rest by phone after the bus had taken off. Briefing the press here yesterday, the Volta Regional Police Commander, Rev. David Ampah-Bennin, said the suspects, aged between 35 and 55, normally blocked the road with logs and cement blocks, laid ambush and fired gunshots from the bush to compel vehicles to stop before attacking the passengers. Rev. Ampah-Bennin said the suspects were involved in one of such incidents on Tuesday on the Kwamekrom-Tapa-Abotoase highway at about 3:40 a.m. He said Aliu, 40, called someone on his phone while on a Metro Mass Transit bus but a passenger, who overhead him sent a text message to the Kwamekrom Police who kept surveillance on them. Rev. Ampah-Bennin said when the driver got to the scene, the road had been blocked and he had to stop. Suddenly, the suspects came out from their hide-out and one of them fired a shot wounding a passenger. He said they robbed the passengers, who were mostly traders travelling from Dambai in the Krachi East district to Accra and bolted with moneys, mobile phones, SIM cards and other items. Rev. Ampah-Bennin said the police arrived at the scene and with the assistance of residents of Kwamekrom and Tapa Abotoase, arrested the suspects from their hideout. He highly commended the residents on their role, saying that security was a shared responsibility between security agencies and the public. He expressed the hope that with the arrest of the suspects and the vigilance of the public, the region would have a robbery-free Christmas. Source: Ghanaian Times