Two persons believed to belong to a robbery and terror gang in Kumasi have been arrested by the police. Ibrahim Saani, alias Babangida, 23, and Mutala Ibrahim, 24, are alleged to be key pillars in the "AI-Qaeda" gang in Kumasi which has also been terrorising residents of the Kumasi metropolis. Babangida and his gang, who are known to be involved in land guard activities in Accra, are alleged to have engaged another land guard faction at Sowutuom in Accra in a gun battle that left one person dead and several others injured. The police have been able to link Babangida and Mutala to at least six robberies which occurred in the Kumasi metropolis in the last couple of years. Some of the robberies included the one in which a 71-year-old Lebanese, Zakaria Dennaoui, was killed at his Excel Filling Station at Dabanon April 28, 2007. The Ashanti Regional Crime Officer, ACP Bright Oduro, who briefed newsmen on the arrest said the police were still investigating and it was likely the two suspects could be linked to more robberies. He said the suspects had admitted committing some of the robberies, while they had denied others. Babangida was arrested on July 10, 2007 when he showed up at a Kumasi High Court in a case in which he had been charged for possessing firearms without authority in which he had earlier been granted bail. Apparently, the policemen who had initially arrested him and quickly arraigned him before court did not know he was a suspected criminal on the wanted list, until the Regional Command got to know of the case and arrested him on the day he reappeared in court. Mutala, on his part, was arrested on July 21, 2007 at his hideout in Kumasi. Others in the robbery syndicate are Bambala, Jalou, 24, Yankey, 26, and Haruna, 23, all of who are on the run. The police have mounted a search for them. Jalou is believed to be hiding at Old Tafo Mile 3 in Kumasi, Yankey is reportedly hiding at the Kokomba Market in Accra, while Haruna is believed to have escaped to Nigeria. ACP Oduro said Babangida, for instance, doubled as a land guard in Accra and that on July 7, 2005 he, together with his gang, dubbed "Al-Qaeda", engaged another land guard faction at Sowutuom in a gun battle that left one person dead and several others seriously injured. The Accra Regional Police are handling the case. On June 8, 2005, Babangida, Mutala, Jamal Mohammed Iddi, Yankey and Haruna, according to the police, armed themselves with locally-made pistols, a shotgun and a machete and managed to snatch an Opel taxi, with registration number AS 8283 V, at Manhyia. While on their rounds for robbery operations, the vehicle was involved in an accident when some occupants of the taxi tried to pursue them. Babangida, Mutala, Yankey and Haruna escaped unhurt and managed to run away, but Jamal, who was driving the vehicle at the time, was seriously injured and was subsequently arrested. He has since November 20, 2006 been convicted and sentenced to 25 years in hard labour. At about 9:30 p.m. on January 18, 2007, Babangida, Mutala, Jalou and another accomplice whose name was only given as Apozo, 22, were said to have armed themselves with pistols and attacked and robbed Alfred Aboagye Frimpong of his red Golf car, with registration number BA 7 X, his mobile phone and GH¢40 (¢400,000). The robbers were said to have driven the car to Ashtown and Mmrom, where they attacked and robbed a police constable of his mobile phone. As the robbers fled, Mutala was said to have shot the police constable in both thighs and the constable, who was armed with a police pistol, instantly returned fire, hitting Apozo in the right thigh. The robbers carried their injured colleague in the red Golf and abandoned him in his house at Aboabo where he was found dead the next day. At about 7:30 p.m. on February 2, 2007, Mutala, Kasoula, Babangida and Jalou were said to have stormed a drinking bar at Ashtown and, armed with knives, local and foreign pistols, subjected the barkeeper and customers to severe intimidation and beatings and amid gunfire succeeded in robbing them of their mobile phones and money. Mutala was said to have shot Kwabena Mensah, a customer at the bar, in the thigh and also wounded Debora Dufie, the sales girl. Mutala, Babangida and one person named as Soldier who is believed to have died were said to have stormed the Excel Filling Station at Daban and robbed the lady attendant of GH¢500 (¢5 million) on April 28, 2007. The robbers also entered an office and succeeded in stealing GH¢180 (¢1.8 million) from a drawer. ACP Oduro said the owner of the station, who was alerted to the crime, came out of his shopping mall and opened fire on one of the robbers who had entered the office to steal the money. Mutala, who was then wielding an AK 47 rifle, fired from the fuel dump and killed the 71-year-old Lebanese, Zakaria Dennaoui. The robbers then fled into a nearby bush with their booty. He said at about 3.00p.m. on June 4, 2007, someone whose name was given as Mohammed was said to have spotted Mutala at Alabar, and knowing him to be an armed robber, raised an alarm. But Mutala quickly pulled a locally-made pistol and fired at him, wounding him in the left arm. ACP Oduro said at about 7:30 p.m. on June 14, 2007, Babangida, Jalou, Mutala and Kasoula, armed with locally-made pistols and pump action guns, again stormed the Shanty Drinking bar at Mmrom and robbed the bar owner of GH¢630 (¢6.3 million) and also took away mobile phones belonging to customers. Source: Daily Graphic