The Ashanti Regional Police Command has apprehended five Nigerian nationals and one Ghanaian for their alleged involvement in a string of coordinated attacks and robberies targeting bank customers in Kumasi.
According to the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Emmanuel Teye Cudjoe, the suspects trailed unsuspecting victims who had withdrawn large sums of money from banks. The criminals then broke into the victims’ vehicles to rob them of their cash and valuables.
The arrests followed intelligence gathered by the police and surveillance footage retrieved from the Intelligence Video Surveillance (IVS) system at the police emergency command centre. Two vehicles used by the syndicate—a gold-coloured Toyota Highlander (GT 2471-14) and a black Toyota Highlander (GX 7124-12)—were identified and later impounded. Investigations revealed that both vehicles had fake licence plates.
On Thursday, June 19, 2025, at around 10:00 a.m., police successfully arrested three key suspects: 29-year-old taxi driver Russell Ekenze, 49-year-old Francis Friday, and 51-year-old trader Linus Agwazie. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to being members of a larger criminal syndicate operating across multiple locations in Kumasi, including the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Mayanka, Asokwa, Kumasi Central Mosque, ShopRite, and the Georgia Hotel area.
They admitted to carrying out similar thefts at several locations within Kumasi, including Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Mayanka, Asokwa, Kumasi Central Mosque, ShopRite and Georgia Hotel area,” the police noted.
The suspects also named other members of the syndicate as Cosmas Maduabuchukwu, Ezuchukwu, C.J., DD, and Lele. One of the key suspects, Cosmas Maduabuchukwu, reportedly sustained gunshot wounds during an attempted arrest but managed to escape. A manhunt is currently underway to apprehend him and the other accomplices still at large.
Preliminary investigations indicate that all members of the syndicate are Nigerian nationals, except for one—DD—who is Ghanaian. The six suspects in custody have been arraigned before court for lawful remand, DCOP Cudjoe stated.
