The incident occurred when the bus suddenly experienced mechanical faults, triggering panic among the passengers.

Eyewitnesses reported that, the bus driver, upon noticing smoke emanating from the vehicle, acted swiftly and brought the bus to a halt at the side of the road.

All passengers were safely evacuated from the bus before the flames engulfed it entirely.

However, despite the prompt response, the fire rapidly intensified, consuming the entire bus within minutes.

In spite of the frantic efforts from onlookers, not much was done to salvage the situation.

Fortunately, there were no reported casualties or injuries.

The incident is said to have occurred on the dawn of Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

The deceased, according to reports, entered the terminal of V.I.P Transport Company at about 4:00am, started the bus in question and attempted driving off with the Grand Bird bus with registration number GE 2304-10.

The driver’s assistant, upon taking notice, pursued the suspect in a tricycle with the help of some members of the public.

The deceased at a point decided to ditch the moving bus but was apprehended by the mob who subjected him to severe beatings.

The abandoned bus, which was still motion, is reported to have damaged a car around the area before coming to a halt.

The body of the deceased, who died as a result of the mob action, has since been conveyed to a morgue for preservation and investigation by the police at Asokwa.

Reports indicate the bus was travelling from Takoradi in the Western Region to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Ekua, a passenger on the bus, said the bus moved from the Abenbebon Station at Apremdo, Takoradi at around 10:30 pm on Sunday.

“At around 3:30 am on Monday, February 21, 2022, about five armed robbers with rifles and other weapons attacked us and made away with our monies and other belongings. All of them were wearing masks,” she narrated.

She added that the armed robbers, after the robbery, asked them to remember them in prayers.

“After the robbery, they asked us to pray for them because it was not their will to stop vehicles on the highway and rob passengers of their belongings but the system has compelled them to do so,” she added.

Another young man said the armed robbers took away his bag containing an amount of GH¢8,500.

“I’m a driver and I was going to buy an engine for my vehicle in Kumasi. My Mobile Money phone was last week stolen by another set of armed robbers at Kintampo so I decided to carry the money in my bag but unfortunately, I have been robbed again,” he added as reported by 3news.

The passengers were stranded at the Anwiankwanta Police Station, where an official complaint had been lodged.

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The driver of the vehicle, Agya Owusu, disclosed that there was nothing he could have done to save the situation.

“When I got to Fomena, I saw a driver alerting me with his light that there was danger on the road. I became confused and stopped the vehicle for about five minutes. I realised no vehicle was coming again so I decided to continue my journey.

“When I moved forward for some minutes, I saw a Sprinter bus on the road with passengers lying on the ground. This is where I realised armed robbers were on the road. There was nothing I could do again because they were very close. They attacked us and took all our monies. They took my GH¢3,400,” the driver said.

The Management said the theft of items is in spite of thorough security measures it has put in place at the facility including the presence of CCTV cameras.

Speaking in an interview with Adomonline.com, the Marketing and Events Manager of Linda Dor, Emmanuel Oduro Boakye, said securing the items of patrons at the stop must be a shared responsibility between them and drivers.

He said the Management of facility, on countless occasions, have warned drivers to lock their buses once passengers alight at the rest stop.

In spite of the warnings, Mr Oduro Boakye said some drivers continue to defy their advice, leading to incidences such as what happened recently.

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CCTV and preliminary findings

Mr Boakye has explained that even though CCTV cameras are available at the facility, they can hardly capture thefts that occur inside buses that stop at the facility.

He said their preliminary interrogation with the driver, Emmanuel Owusu, revealed that two passengers were left in the bus while the others alighted.

But, the second person who sat on seat number 27 was nowhere to be found when the occupants returned after the raid.

Mr Boakye, has pledged that the facility will support in anyway possible to resolve the matter.

Fake ‘robbery’ news and effect on business

Mr Boakye has disclosed that the incident has put the facility in a bad light, adding that it may affect their operations considering the reactions coming in.

He attributed the public apprehensions to some people claiming that what happened was a robbery incidence.

“Some people describing this as a robbery incident has really affected us,” he said.

Background

There was a raid of a VIP bus at the rest stop when passengers had alighted from the bus to engage in ‘convenience activities’.

However, they returned to the bus in a few minutes to realise that their belongings had been made away with.

Reports suggest the bus with registration number AC 1403-20 being driven by one Emmanuel Owusu was travelling from Accra to Yendi when the incident occurred on Saturday.

Not even a frantic search for the items by police was enough to give the stranded passengers any hope as the thieves made away with their valuables.

They made away with expensive items including laptops, bags, and several other personal belongings of the passengers.

Not even a frantic search for the items by police was enough to give the stranded passengers any hope as the thieves made away with their valuables.

Reports suggest the bus with registration number AC 1403-20 being driven by one Emmanuel Owusu was travelling from Accra to Yendi when the incident occurred.

Narrating the incident in an interview with Adom News, the passengers said they had alighted from the bus to engage in ‘convenience activities’.

However, they returned to the bus in a few minutes only to realise that their belongings had been bolted with.

They made away with expensive items including laptops, bags, and several other personal belongings of the passengers.

“I am travelling with a team and we were supposed to undertake a project in one of the villages in Yendi but now all our cameras and other equipment are gone. We need to go back to Accra because we cannot continue the trip without them,” a distraught passenger narrated.

The Linda Dor Police Commander, DSP Tetteh, who confirmed the news said a thorough search was conducted in the bus but nothing was found.

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He however disclosed that police noticed one of the passengers had disappeared into thin hair but said they couldn’t confirm if he committed the crime.

Meanwhile, the General Manager for the transport service, VIP, Adakabre Frimpong-Manso, has assured they will get to the root of the matter.

Watch the video attached above:

About 34 passengers onboard a VIP bus with registration number GT 4159 have escaped death after the vehicle caught fire.

The incident occurred around 8:30 am on Monday, December 21, 2020, at Yeji in the Bono East region.

Some passengers who spoke in an interview with Adom News the fire started after they saw smoke coming from the back.

“We drew the driver’s attention and asked that we start packing out our belongings but the bus exploded in the spur of the moment.

“All attempts to quench it with an extinguisher which was in the car proved futile,” one of the passengers narrated.

The Pru West Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Frederick Ndela and his team has been to the scene to examine the extent of damage.

He tells Adom News a call was placed to the Yeji fire service but they did not respond on time.

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However, damage had already been caused when the Atebubu personnel came to the scene.

Watch the video attached above:

The bus with the registration number GT 5313-19 was travelling with passengers from Accra to Wulensi when it plunged into the river while maneuvering to get onto the pontoon to cross to the other side.

There were no casualties. It is suspected that the incident was caused by brake failure.

In a statement copied to Adomonline.com, VIP said its buses do not ply that route.

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“While this is an unfortunate event and our prayers are with the victims, we wish to inform the media, our cherished customers and the general public that the bus involved in the accident with registration number GT 5313 – 19 does not belong to us,” the statement said.

READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

The atmosphere in the bus was serene; most of the passengers had alighted and the driver had turned off the ambiance-lights so it was convenient for us, Fameye disclosed.

After narrating the full story, Fameye asked God to forgive him for the act.

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God should forgive me. I had sex with my ex-girlfriend in a VIP bus. The lights were off and there was a curtain so we closed our compartment. The bus was travelling to Bogoso.

The seats were empty and she sat on me; it was really a nice feeling.

Addressing a press conference in Accra, the General Manager of VIP Jeoun Transport Limited Adakabre Frimpong Manso, disclosed that management of the company was dissatisfied with the use of its logo and colours by other companies to confuse the public.

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“In recent times, other bus operators are deliberately using our brand and that has brought untold hardship to us, thereby bringing our reputation into disrepute as if we are an accident-prone transport company,” he remarked.

He also made reference to a recent video on a purported accident involving a VIP bus in the Brong Ahafo Region.

According to him, the video, which was described as fake by the police, went viral on social media and negatively affected the company’s operations.

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Several operators deliberately inscribe VIP’s logo and colours on their buses, Mr Frimpong Manso added.

He pointed out that his outfit registered the logo and colours in 2008.

“We are a very serious transport company and operate an average of 400 buses with over 5,000 passengers every 24 hours. We will therefore not countenance any activity from our saboteurs, and this is why we want to go to court for an interpretation of the law,” he stated.

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Yaw Amponsah Marfo, Director of VIP Jeoun Transport Limited, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, indicated that management of the company is passionate about the safety of passengers and drivers, and therefore invests heavily in training programmes to promote defensive driving.

He added that management would soon sign a training agreement with the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to provide periodic training to the drivers of the company.