NewzThree suspected members of a robbery gang linked to a series of attacks on motorbike riders and mobile money vendors in parts of the Upper East Region have died following a gunfire exchange with the Police in the Tilly Forest. According to a Facebook post shared on Saturday, September 19, the Upper East Regional Police Command said the gang had been operating across Benaba, Binduri, Pusiga, Garu, Zebilla and surrounding communities. The development followed an operation in which Police investigators, accompanied by suspects already in custody, went to a location in the Tilly Forest where the gang had indicated that firearms had been concealed.
The Police said the team came under gunfire during the operation, resulting in injuries to three suspects — 33-year-old Amadu Apiiga, Philip Vokbilla and Bilal Adabode, alias Sulley, who had led the Police to the location. The three were taken to hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival. The Command said other persons believed to have sustained gunshot wounds fled the scene, while two Police officers were also injured and are receiving medical treatment.
The operation led to the recovery of several weapons and other items allegedly connected to the gang’s activities. They include two locally manufactured single-barrel guns, two pistols, including a BRUNI 92 pistol, 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 18 BB live cartridges and three sharp cutlasses. Police also retrieved four unregistered Yamaha Aerox scooters, a pair of black boots, a motorbike number plate and two mobile phones.
The gang has also been linked to the killing of a Police officer during a robbery at Zebilla on 8 February 2026, according to the Regional Police Command. The Police said six other members of the gang who were arrested earlier remain in custody and are assisting with investigations. Efforts are continuing to identify and arrest other members of the group who remain at large, while investigators are also working to trace the source of the weapons recovered during the operations.
The Police have appealed to the public to report anyone found with suspected gunshot wounds to the nearest Police station, following reports that some persons injured during the incident fled the scene. The Command said information from the public would assist efforts to locate the remaining suspects and advance investigations into the robbery attacks. Three suspects have been shot dead and two police officers injured during a follow-up operation by the Upper East Regional Police Command to retrieve weapons allegedly concealed by a robbery gang in the Tilly Forest.
According to the Police, the operation followed the dismantling of a suspected robbery gang linked to a series of attacks targeting motorbike riders and mobile money vendors in Benaba, Binduri, Pusiga, Garu, Zebilla and surrounding communities. The Police said the operation was conducted after some of the suspects led investigators to a location in the Tilly Forest where they indicated that firearms belonging to the gang had been concealed. However, upon reaching the location, the Police team came under gunfire, resulting in injuries to three suspects who were part of the operation.
Summary from source