Armed Robbers Attack Metro Mass Buses

Armed robbers attacked three Metro Mass buses this dawn at Pensanom near Manso Amenfi in the Western Region, shooting two persons and robbing the passengers of various sums of money.

A citizen of the town, Samuel Nkrumah reports that two of the buses, which had loaded from Asankragua were headed towards Takoradi while the third, which had also loaded from Asankragua, was headed towards Kumasi.

The robbers reportedly blocked the road with logs at Pensanom, a few kilometers outside Manso Amenfi and forced one of the Takoradi bound buses to stop. The driver of the Kumasi bound bus, which attempted to drive through the road block, was shot by the robbers and is receiving treatment at the Wassa Akropong hospital.

Another passenger on the bus was shot in the hip and is receiving treatment at the same hospital.

A conductor on one of the Takoradi-bound buses was also beaten mercilessly by the robbers for resisting a search on the bus, according to reports.

According to Samuel Nkrumah, the robbers took away various sums of money, including Ghc 5,000 (Gh¢50 million old cedis) from one trader who was going to buy flour in Takoradi.

Auntie Vic, a passenger on the Kumasi bound bus which was leading the three bus convoy, told listeners of Adom FM's Dwaso Nsem Morning Show on Monday June 18, that the attack took place between 4:30 and 5am, a few minutes after they set off. Eight robbers, four on both sides of the road and wearing masks, started shooting when the driver attempted to drive through the road block and although he was shot, he managed to drive to the next town before collapsing.

The two Takoradi-bound buses have since continued their journey after lodging complaints at the Wassa Amenfi police station, while the Kumasi bound bus is presently parked at the Manso Amenfi Hospital.

Attempts to get a comment from Chief Inspector Addo, Station Officer of the Wassa Amenfi Police Station, proved futile as he referred this reporter to the Regional Crime Officer. The Crime Officer, James Kofi Abraham, declined comment because he had not briefed his regional commander.

In another development, the driver of a BMW saloon car is reported to have died on the spot after smashing into an Accra bound VIP buss at New Jejeti near Nkawkaw on the Accra-Kumasi road. According to the driver of the VIP bus, the male driver of the BMW car, headed towards Kumasi, attempted to overtake the VIP bus but rather smashed into it in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with another car also overtaking another.

None of the passengers on board the VIP bus was hurt, but the badly damaged vehicle would not be able to complete the journey, according to the driver and eyewitnesses.