IGP asked to honour Walewale police for arresting armed robbers

Walewale (N/R), Oct. 20, GNA - The Walewale Youth Association (WYA), in the West Mamprusi District capital, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to reward personnel at the Walewale Police Division for apprehending four armed robbers last month. Speaking at a press conference at Walewale, Mr Abuba Bawah, Vice Chairman of WYA, said the personnel exposed themselves to risk in hunting down the culprits.

He said on September 13, 2005, the robbers who were wearing masks attacked a haulage truck returning from Bulbiya to Walewale and made away with cash totalling 4.5 million cedis and two mobile phones from the passengers.

He said one Yakubu Iddrisu who was also on his way to Walewale from the market on a motorcycle, saw the scene from afar and retreated to Bulbiya, from where he called a friend in Walewale on his mobile phone and informed him about the attack. The friend in turn reported the incident to the Walewale police.

The police led by the Officer in-charge of the Station, Police Inspector Kwame Otchere Essuman, rushed to the scene but the suspects on hearing the approach of the police, fled into the bush leaving behind two motorcycles.

An inspection of a bag tied behind one of the motorcycles yielded two rifles and a quantity of live ammunition.

Mr Bawah said word got to the police the following day that the armed robbers had gone to seek refuge at Janga near Nasia, so the police moved in and arrested them.

The case was subsequently transferred to the Northern Regional office of the Criminal Investigations Department in Tamale for further investigations.

"It is not our intention to interfere in the affairs of the Police Administration but we are of the view that credit for the action must go to where it is due," he said.

Mr Bawah made reference to a story in the September 26, edition of the "Daily Graphic" in which two policemen who had died in similar confrontations with armed robbers, had been promoted posthumously. He noted that any member of the police team from Walewale could have suffered the same fate in the course of the operations. Mr Bawah said as a development-oriented Association, WYA was concern about the activities of armed robbers, hence the need to honour the Policemen to motivate them to give of their best.

He also urged the Police Administration to make available adequate logistics a to the Walewale Police, saying that the station was poorly equipped.