File photo: Police

Police personal, who were escorting two armed robbers to a location of other armed robbers hiding weapons near Bole in the Savannah Region, exchanged gun fire with the suspects after the robbers opened fire on the police.

The police returned fire and in the process bullets hit suspects from Sawla called Iddrisu and Dramani Iddi who fell and bleed profusely and later died at the Jemma Hospital in the Bono East Region.

According to a source, on October, 20, 2021, a team of personnel from the Police Intelligence Directorate arrived in the Bono East Region and met with some informants who gave information about the suspects behind recent highway robberies and kidnappings within and around the Bono East and Savannah Regions especially Bole, Banda Nkwanta, New Longro and their adjourning communities.

The team proceeded to Sawla in the Savannah Region, and while there, the team had a tip-off of that one Ali Igudu, a notorious armed robber and the leader of the robbery gang at Sawla, who together with others, robbed and murdered Alhaji Ousman Amadu at Nyame Sikri, a village near Bole were hiding in a location and mobilising other robbers to embark on another robbery along the Bole to Banda- Nkwanta highway.

The intelligence also indicated that suspect Igudu after robbing and murdering Alhaji Ousman Amadu, also murdered Fuseini Galagala, an informant who assisted police to kill one of his accomplices and arrested one other in that robbery and murder case.

The police team swiftly moved to the said location at Sawla and arrested suspect Igudu who told the police that the weapons they used in their robbery expeditions were with suspect Iddrisu.

Suspect Igudu subsequently led police to arrest suspect Iddrisu, an amputee at a different location within Sawla.

Suspect Iddrisu also told police that the weapons were with suspect Ali Dramani at Bole Sawaba.

The team proceeded and arrested suspect Dramani Iddi at Bole Sawaba and on interrogation he admitted and told police he had gone to hide the weapons at a foot path at the outskirts of the Bole along the Bole to Banda-Nkwanta road due to their pending operation.

Whilst the police were escorting them to the said location at Bole to retrieve the weapons, their accomplices had information about the arrest and the presence of strange vehicles and became alert due to a call placed to them.

When the Police team got close to the location near Bole, the suspects asked the police to stop the vehicles and walk with them as the vehicles could not be driven through the foot path.

When the Police team escorting the suspects got close to the location, their accomplices immediately opened fire on the police and in the midst of the confusion, the suspects, who were leading police, suddenly run into a nearby bush in different directions.

The police returned fire and in the process bullets hit suspects Iddrisu and Dramani Iddi who fell and bleed profusely.

Other suspects, including suspect Ali Igudu, however, managed to escape into a nearby bush as the team was conveying the injured suspects to the Jemma Government Hospital for treatment, suspect Dramani Ali mentioned his accomplices as Ali Igudu and Iddrisu.

The bodies of the deceased suspects have been deposited at same hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy while efforts are being made to locate suspect Ali Igudu who escaped with gunshot wound for his arrest.

The Savannah Regional police command is yet to speak about the case.