Six suspected armed robbers have attacked and robbed several passengers of their money and other valuables when they were returning from the Funsi market in the Wa East District to Tumu.
The victims told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) hours after the attack that they were also beaten for not having enough money while the driver and other occupants of the front seat were shot.
Mr Adamu Kantong, the driver, aged 56 years, who survived the gunshot, said: “I got to a pothole between Vamboi and Bandei around 1900hrs and was stopped by a man with a torchlight.”
“As I stopped, I struggled to open the driver’s door, and the next thing was the gunshot, which pierced through my middle ring and small fingers, I immediately lost control of myself,” he added.
Mr Kantong said, “The other passenger sitting in the front also had his hand damaged by the bullets before they took all our phones and every penny on us and made all of us lie down.”
Mr Kantong was rushed to the hospital where he was treated and discharged from the hospital but lost the affected figures.
He blamed the authorities for the poor state of the roads, which he said contributed to those rampant robberies.
He appealed to the communities along the robbery area to see if they found their Ghana cards, health insurance cards, driver’s licenses, and other documents that were taken away.
One of the over 40 market women who were also robbed said everything was taken away from her and that the attackers also hit her with sticks.
Two other Kia trucks that were returning from Funsi and Kojikperi markets were also robbed as well as other trucks that were returning from Ouagadougou and several motorcycles.
The Sissala East Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Kumpe Gbele, in an interview with the GNA, said investigations on the robberies were ongoing and assured of enhanced security patrol.
Mr Gbele explained that the killing of a man in Mwanduanu was being treated as murder since no property was taken away.
In the case of a suspected robbery between Sakalo to Sakai, which led to the shooting of a student, Superintendent Gbele said it was also under investigation.
On the 25th of November 2023, a Fulbe settler in Sentie was also shot and killed in his hut, while a driver was robbed around the Sissili River close to Basisan.
“At the right time, the Police will give the public information of where they have reached with investigations”, Mr Gbele said.
Mr Gbele also admonished all drivers driving to seek police escorts irrespective of where they were going since there are enough Police officers to protect the people.
He warned that all passengers to insist on vehicles travelling with Police escort while those carrying huge sums of money to do business, should come over for free Police escort.