Police have been detailing how armed men launched an attack on the convoy of a Council of State member, exchanging gunfire with service personnel and escaping with cash, electronics, and a high-powered rifle.

The incident occurred last Sunday (20th July) near Mile 40 on the Buipe–Tamale highway in the Savannah Region.

Police confirmed that the convoy of Pe Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam III, the Chiana-Pio and Upper East Region’s representative on the Council of State, was ambushed by a group of armed men whose identities were yet to be established.

Details

The Buipe Police received a distress call at 5:00 pm and swiftly dispatched a highway patrol team to the area. Officers say they were met with gunfire upon arrival, but the attackers managed to escape before any arrests could be made.

A police bodyguard assigned to the chief told investigators that the convoy was travelling from Tamale to Kumasi after attending the Northern Development Conference when it came under attack.

He reported that about 15 armed men — some masked — had blocked the road and were firing indiscriminately. In response, he returned fire with his sidearm. But when the pistol malfunctioned, he retreated into the nearby bush, leaving behind a CZ assault rifle in the vehicle.

Stolen items

When he returned, the attackers had vanished — and so had the rifle, his iPhone 13, and several valuables belonging to the chief and his driver.

Items reported stolen include two iPhones, a Samsung phone, GHS 41,000.00, $200 in US dollars, CFA 3,000, a Lenovo laptop, a smart wristwatch, a pair of reading glasses, and a hat. The driver, Jacob Apanyina, was also robbed of GHS 800 and an iPhone 11.

At the scene, investigators recovered three spent BBB cartridges and fifteen AK-47 shell casings.

Police say a team from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate has been dispatched to the area. Investigators are cultivating local informants to track the suspects and recover the stolen rifle.

No injuries were reported.