<<Print>>

The police have arrested 22 herdsmen at Donkorkrom in the Afram Plains North District in the Eastern Region for illegally possessing firearms and other weapons.

The Anti-Robbery Operational Team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lovelace Kofi Glago, arrested the suspects last Saturday for possessing a number of unregistered offensive weapons, including machetes, guns and bullets.

The suspects — who were arrested onboard a Toyota Tacoma Pickup with registration number AW 983-20, a Ford Pickup with registration number GE 7066-11 and a motor tricycle with registration number M-21-EN 635 — included a Fulani Chief, Sariki Iddrisa Sambo, 51; Issaka Ali, 37; Mohammed Abubakari 27; Ibrahim Abubakari, 20; Alhaji Omaru, 47; Mohammed Bello, 28; and Mohammed Abubakari Jamallah, 40.

The accomplices were Omaru Bawah, 23; Alhaji Mohammadu, 42; Osmanu Mohammadu, 35; Osmanu Omaru, 31; Osmanu Omaru Dandahle, 30; Osmanu Ibrahim, 38; Aliu Omaru, 30; and Abass Omaru, 21.

Completing the list of the suspects are Sule Omaru, 20; Ali Waale, 20; Ibrahim Ali, 20; Omaru Balla; Waale Sindo, 49; Osmanu Abubakari, 28; and Abdulai Mesaiji, 29.

Operation

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Eastern Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ebenezer Tetteh, told the Daily Graphic that the Anti-Robbery Operational Team, in a joint exercise with the Donkorkrom Divisional and District Police Command, intercepted the vehicles upon a tip off at about 1 p.m. last Saturday in front of the Glory Oil Filling Station at Donkorkrom.

Upon a search, several weapons and ammunition, including 17 machetes, one foreign pistol, three locally manufactured pistols, four single barrel shot guns, two daggers, 66 live AAA and BB cartridges,  410 cartridges, 10 of 7.65-millimetre ammunition and 19 mobile phones were found on them.

DSP Tetteh added that the team further found 12 BB cartridges in the room of Iddrisa Sambo, one of the suspects.

Investigations

DSP Tetteh said the police had commenced investigations into the incident to make sure justice was served to deter others from possessing firearms illegally.

He urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious acts to the police to help combat crime across the Eastern Region and the country as a whole.

Misunderstanding between Fulani herdsmen and farmers are common in the Afram Plains area, sometimes resulting in deaths. 

While the farmers accuse the herdsmen of destroying their farms when herding their cattle to graze, the herdsmen are said to usually resort to violent means to protect their cattle when attacked by the farmers.