Cop Nabbed for selling weapons to armed robbers

Chief Superintendent Kofi Boakye, acting Greater Accra regional police commander, and his subordinates are beginning to unravel the causes of the persistent armed robberies that have hit the country.

In their custody is Police Constable Class Two, number 35721, Frank Ankomah-Mensah, stationed at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.

His crime, the peace officer sold two assault rifles, SMG and AK 47 and unspecified amounts of bullets to armed robbers who used them to rob innocent people and return fire when pursued by the security forces, especially the police.

Each of the sophisticated weapons was sold for ?3 million according to Superintendent Kofi Boakye who spoke to this reporter.

The case is still under investigation, the commander hinted, saying efforts to retrieve all sophisticated weapons are underway.

In an exclusive interview with the Chronicle, the well-built police officer expressed dismay at the conduct of Constable Frank Ankomah-Mensah who hails from Twifo Hemang.

According to him, the constable who was among recruits who passed out from the Winneba Police Training School after four months and two weeks training spent just a little over a month after training at his Nsawam station.

He would have sold an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) if he had stayed longer in the service, the officer commented.

Chief Superintendent Boakye said activities of the constable came to their notice following a tip-off.

According to him, the transaction took place in early August, and in all cases, the weapons are yet to be retrieved.

Amazingly, the police uniform could not be traced when the Nsawam barracks room of the disgraced constable was searched.

Mr. Boakye said at least four persons had been apprehended so far in connection with the case.

One of the transactions which took place at Determination Communication and Business Centre at Agbogbloshie, involved some persons now on the run save the constable receiving as low as ?500,000 out of the ?3 million that he sold the AK 47 assault rifle.

Constable Ankomah-Mensah, the regional boss said, after selling the first SMG rifle the constable reportedly gave an alleged accomplice ?200,000 and the second being the AK 47 he gave the same person ?710,000.

All these allegations are being investigated with all seriousness, Boakye said, promising to deal ruthlessly with anyone found to have aided the 'black sheep'.

On how he was apprehended, the police officer praised civilians for their co-operation.

According to him, a driver relative of one of the suspects, now in custody, last Saturday found the constable, who had deserted his post after booking for guard duty at an Nsawam bank at an Achimota drinking spot.

He raised an alarm leading to his arrest, bundled him into a bus and drove him straight to the police at Nsawam.

Prior to this, the police had been on the lookout for over two weeks for his arrest.

Information gathered has it that since the constable was posted to Nsawam he had refused to take occupancy of his allocated barracks room, which has been described as being like an empty stadium.

He rather preferred sharing a room belonging to a young man of about 20 years outside the police barracks.

Other sources at his station say that his attitude towards work was suspicious, running away from duty post mostly in the night only to return with the rifle the following day.

More on Constable Frank Ankomah-Mensah in the Chronicle as the huge frame of Kofi Boakye descends on him that could lead to a solution to the numerous armed robberies.