Four persons who are suspected to have attempted to smuggle ammunition to the conflict area in Bawku have been arrested by the Police in Kumasi, heightening anxiety over whether the recent unrest in Bawku will ever abate.

At the time of their arrest, the suspects were said to have loaded 9,825 pieces of cartridges on to a Mercedes Benz cargo truck, with registration number GR 9836 D, at the Salaga Station at Alla Bar in Kumasi.

The police believe they were Bawku-bound.

The ammunition was concealed under assorted goods, including boards, mats, boxes of canned tomatoes, biscuits and cooking utensils.

Those arrested include a 72-year-old man, Alhaji Kassum Shaibu, who is one of the GPRTU station officers at the Salaga Station; Samuel Kwadwo-Kodua, 50, the driver of the cargo truck; his 25-year-old driver’s mate, Akwasi Oppong, and the secretary to the union, Safianu Saddat, 29.

The cargo truck has also been impounded by the police, pending further investigations.

All the four suspects are currently in police custody assisting in investigations.

The police are also looking for another man (name withheld) who is suspected to have loaded the ammunition onto the truck.

The fugitive was said to have vanished from the station as soon as he got wind that the police lad arrested the four suspects.

Briefing the press after the arrest, the Manhyia Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent of Police Mr. George Mensah, said police intelligence led a team of policemen to the station where they located the cargo truck.

He said the team saw that it was full of goods but they could not immediately locate the cartridges. Consequently, the driver was directed to drive to the Zongo Police Station for further investigations.

He said since it was deep in the night, the police detailed some men to guard the truck, adding that the goods were offloaded early last Wednesday, in the presence of the suspects, during which the police found the cartridges concealed under the assorted goods.

He said initial investigations revealed that the cartridges were being sent to Salaga on transit before they would be transported to the conflict area in Bawku.

Mr Mensah said the driver of the truck denied knowing the owner of the cartridges.

He said when he was questioned, the driver indicated that he had only sent the truck to the Salaga Station to be loaded and so it was only the ‘bookmen’ who would be in a position to identify the owner of the cartridges.

The Divisional Commander pointed out that the police would continue with their investigations until they succeeded in arresting those involved” in the transaction.

Source: Daily Graphic