The bullion van robberies matter, is getting interesting by the day with yet another family, denying the involvement of one of the suspects who is their relative.
According to the family of Constable Affisu Yaro Ibrahim, he was not involved in the bullion van robberies as he was either home or was at his duty post at the time the robberies, including the attempted one on February 22, 2022 at North Kaneshie, which he had been linked to.
The denial, the second of it since the press statement announcing its “breakthrough” in the bullion van robbery incidents, comes in the wake of a call by the Minority in Parliament, through a private members motion for a bi-partisan probe into the circumstances that led to the killing of two policemen who were assisting with investigations into recent bullion van robberies.
The Ranking Member on the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament, James Agalga, who spoke to the media on the rationale for the said motion said “the killing of the two police officers has now resulted in a situation where the police administration would be denied of very crucial evidence in its quest to unravel the bullion robberies in our country.”
There is suspicion that the two policemen were driven out and executed by investigators to hide evidence of the involvements of senior police officers.
In a write up circulating amongst police officers and chanced on by The Herald, the family revealed that “Const Affisu Yaro was in police custody at the time of the supposed raid at the criminals hideout at Borteyman. It is therefore not true that he was arrested following an intelligence-led operation after the raid”.
It explained that ahead of the supposed exchange of gunshots between the police investigators and Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah and L/Cpl Stephen Kwaku Nyame whom the investigators claimed they had armed on their way to Borteyman to show them the hideout of the other suspects, “Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim had travelled to his hometown in the Upper East Region for his late grandmother’s funeral.
“On Wednesday 2th March 2022, he received a call from his commander (I am told a Chief Supt of police) that he was urgently needed at the work place so he set off and arrived in Accra on Thursday 3th March 2022.
“Upon arrival in Accra, he reported straight to the boss who told him that he had been implicated in some armed robbery cases and immediately seized his mobile phone and then detained.
The family also insisted that “on the day of the bullion van robbery which led to the death of the police constable, Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim was detailed for duty by the same police somewhere else. So is the police suggesting that he abandoned the duty to go and participate in the robbery as the police is alleging that he was involved in it? Or do we have two Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahims?
On his involvement in the attempted robbery on 22nd February 2022 at North Kaneshie, the family once said “this is also not true”, adding “there is adequate evidence that on that particular day, Const Affisu Yaro’s uncle whom he was staying with before his invitation and detention”.
Below is the write on Constable Affisu Yaro. It was titled Innocent Constable In Alleged Robbery Case – The IGP Must Open His Eyes:
The Ghana Police Service is an institution with the responsibility of ensuring internal security. This includes fighting all sorts of crime, including armed robbery. The year 2021 witnessed an increase in armed robbery cases. Some of the robberies took place with impunity during day time, including attacks and robberies of bullion vans. In one instance of bullion van robbery, a Police officer painfully lost his life. May his soul continue to rest in peace.
The rise in robbery cases in 2021 and early 2022 made a lot of people question the ability of the Ghana Police Service to maintain peace, law and order in the country. Therefore, the announcement by the Police Service through a press release signed on Monday 7th March 2022 about a breakthrough the Police Service had made in bullion van robberies was greeted with excitement and relief. In the said press release, the Police Service stated the involvement of two policemen among a number of suspects.
On 8th March 2022, the police service made another press release in which the service stated that the police had carried out an intelligence-led field raid at a hideout of the gang connected with the investigation into the bullion van robberies. In the press release, the police stated that during the raid at Borteyman near Ashaiman, there was an exchange of gunshots and two policemen, Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah and L/Cpl Stephen Kwaku Nyame who had been arrested in connection with the bullion van robberies, were shot and were pronounced dead on arrival at the police hospital.
The press release added that further investigations had led to the arrest of five other suspects, four of whom are policemen. The press release mentioned Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim, Const Richard Boadu, Const Rabiu Jambedu, Const Albert Ofosu and suspect Razak Alhassan (a civilian), as the five suspects arrested following the raid. They were arraigned before court on Wednesday 9th March 2022 and remanded into police custody to enable the police conclude investigations into the matter.
I am unable to speak about the other suspects so I will focus on Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim. The following are the facts:
1. Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim had travelled to his hometown in the Upper East Region for his late grandmother’s funeral. On Wednesday 2th March 2022, he received a call from his commander (I am told a Chief Supt of police) that he was urgently needed at the work place so he set off and arrived in Accra on Thursday 3th March 2022. Upon arrival in Accra, he reported straight to the boss who told him that he had been implicated in some armed robbery cases and immediately seized his mobile phone and then detained. So Const Affisu Yaro was in police custody at the time of the supposed raid at the criminals hideout at Borteyman. It is therefore not true that he was arrested following an intelligence-led operation after the raid.
2. On the day of the bullion van robbery which led to the death of the police constable Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim was detailed for duty by the same police somewhere else. So is the police suggesting that he abandoned the duty to go and participate in the robbery as the police is alleging that he was involved in it? Or do we have two Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahims?
3. According to the police, Const Affisu Yaro Ibrahim allegedly participated in an attempted robbery on 22nd February 2022 at North Kaneshie. This is also not true. There is adequate evidence that on that particular day, Const Affisu Yaro’s uncle whom he was staying with before his invitation and detention, was scheduled to travel out of Accra. In the morning of that day, his uncle spoke with him before leaving for the airport to catch his flight. Coincidentally, the flight was cancelled and rescheduled for afternoon so the uncle came back home and met Const Affisu Yaro at home. When the uncle was finally leaving for the airport in the afternoon, Const Affisu Yaro was still at home and the uncle bid him final goodbye. Therefore, Const Affisu Yaro could not have been part of the mentioned attempted robbery.
