Four Held Over Arms

Four persons, including two students, have been arrested by the police in connection with an attempted transportation of a quantity of ammunition and other dangerous weapons to Tamale.

The items, including 25 pieces of cartridges and 14 pieces of Tiger knife, described by the police as a very dangerous weapon, were intercepted at Nkenkensu in the Ashanti Region aboard a Tamale-bound Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus.

Those arrested are Numpak Duuti, 18, a senior high school student from Bunkpurugu; Kwabena Duah, 43, a trader at Tamale; Myles Prah, 30, a student in Kumasi; and Takara Shiku, 29, a farmer at Bunkpurugu.

The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, told the Daily Graphic that the suspects had denied any knowledge of the items.

The regional commander said following the insecurity in the northern parts of the country, the police administration had directed regional, divisional and district commands at the exit points to northern Ghana to be extra vigilant about the transportation of dangerous weapons to that part of the country.

As a result of the directive, he said, the regional police had activated its barriers at vantage points and stepped up patrols.

He said at about 6.30 p.m.Monday, the Akomadan District Command positioned men at the barrier, while the Regional Buffalo Unit in Kumasi also stepped up their patrols in the area.

In the evening, the MMT bus pulled up at the barrier and the police conducted a search on it leading to the discovery of the items and the subsequent arrest of the four people.

Mr Timbillah stated that his outfit would continue to be extra vigilant to ensure that no weapons found their way to the northern part of the country.