Nigerian Syndicate Busted in Kumasi After Series of Bank Customer Robberies — One Suspect Still at Large

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has dismantled a criminal syndicate believed to be responsible for a string of brazen robberies against bank customers across Kumasi and surrounding communities. Three Nigerian nationals are now in custody, while a fourth suspect remains at large and is being actively sought by law enforcement.

How the Operation Unfolded

The breakthrough came on the night of 31st October 2026, when a specialised IGP task force — drawing personnel from the Anti-Armed Robbery Unit of the CID Headquarters and the Accra Regional Police Intelligence Directorate — moved on credible intelligence to intercept members of the gang.

The initial raid on a hotel at Moshie Zongo in Kumasi led to the arrest of two suspects: Aboy Promise, aged 30, and Favour Uwalaka, aged 45. Officers recovered GH¢1,600 in cash, several mobile phones, a Royal motorbike, and — critically — a master key that the group allegedly used to break into vehicles belonging to bank customers without leaving obvious signs of forced entry.

During questioning, the two men implicated two further accomplices known as Chinedu (alias Alhaji) and Kingsley (alias KC). Acting on that information, officers tracked a third suspect, Kingsley, 35, to another hotel in Dechemso, a suburb of Kumasi, where he was subsequently arrested. Chinedu, however, managed to evade capture and is currently on the run.

The Command is appealing to members of the public who have any information on Chinedu's whereabouts to contact the nearest police station or reach officers through emergency lines 191 and 112, or the toll-free MTN and Telecel number 18555.

How the Gang Operated

Preliminary investigations paint a picture of a well-organised and methodical criminal enterprise. According to the police, the syndicate routinely staked out banking premises in Kumasi, patiently identifying customers who had just withdrawn significant sums of money. They would then trail those individuals before ambushing and robbing them — either on the street or by using their master key to silently break into unattended vehicles where cash had been left.

The suspects have so far admitted to at least three confirmed incidents. These include the robbery of a customer at Asokore Mampong on 27th October 2026, shortly after the victim had withdrawn money from Kwamang Rural Bank, losing GH¢15,000 in the attack. The gang has also confessed to robberies at the Atonsu branch of Fidelity Bank and the Ahodwo branch of Access Bank, as well as other undisclosed locations across the Kumasi metropolitan area.

Why It Matters for Ghana

The arrests shine a spotlight on a pattern of crime that has quietly become a serious concern in Ghana's financial sector — criminals specifically targeting people as they leave banks. This form of robbery, sometimes called banking-trail crime, exploits the predictable behaviour of customers and the often-limited security presence in car parks and on roads immediately surrounding bank branches.

Kumasi, as Ghana's second-largest city and a major commercial hub for the Ashanti Region and beyond, sees high volumes of cash transactions, making its bank customers particularly attractive targets for organised criminal groups.

The involvement of foreign nationals in coordinated financial crime also raises broader questions about cross-border criminal networks operating within West Africa — an issue that security agencies across the ECOWAS region have increasingly flagged as a challenge requiring regional cooperation.

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has used the occasion to issue a direct warning to the public, urging bank customers to stay alert to suspicious individuals loitering around banking premises, avoid storing cash or valuables in unattended vehicles, and report anything unusual to authorities without delay. The Command also commended members of the public for the intelligence cooperation that made the operation possible.

• Three Nigerian nationals arrested in Kumasi hotel raids on 31st October 2026.
• Gang admitted robbing a customer of GH¢15,000 at Asokore Mampong on 27th October.
• A fourth suspect, Chinedu alias Alhaji, remains at large; public urged to call 191 or 18555.