An Accra Circuit Court has remanded seven individuals, including a military officer, for allegedly robbing a fuel tanker driver of his vehicle and its contents.
Corporal Bernard Bortey, charged alongside Raphel Amartey and one Arhin—both currently at large—was arrested while allegedly attempting to siphon fuel for sale.
He denied conspiring with the two. The other accused, Mark Abito, Ganiu Abdulai, Atiiga Barnabas, Awini Ibrahim, Muniru Ayibo, and Shaibu Adams, also pleaded not guilty to abetment. Several additional suspects remain at large and are being pursued by police.
The accused are scheduled to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah, on August 25, 2025.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Issah Achiburi, the complainant, Jerry Kwaw, is a fuel tanker driver with Petroland Limited, Tema.
Bortey is a serving soldier at the Teaching and Doctrine College of the Ghana Armed Forces. The other accused include fuel tanker drivers and their mates, as well as an unemployed individual.
ASP Achiburi said that on August 6, 2025, at about 10:00 pm, Bortey and four others trailed the complainant’s tanker en route from Tema to Kumasi.
They intercepted the vehicle at Pampaso Number One, held the driver at gunpoint, handcuffed him and his mate, and forced them into a green pickup truck. The fuel tanker was subsequently driven to the PACIFIC Fuel Station at Bunso Junction by the accomplices.
The following day, police at the Ablekuma Borkorborkor checkpoint arrested Bortey in military uniform after the victims raised an alarm.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the remaining accused at Bunso Junction, where they were found operating a pumping machine to transfer the stolen diesel into an empty tanker. Both tankers were impounded at the Kyebi Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department office.
Investigations revealed that Bortey and his accomplices had planned the robbery in advance, splitting into two groups to monitor and intercept the tanker.
Bortey admitted the offence, explaining that he and his accomplices were driving around with the victims handcuffed to buy time for the diesel to be sold.
Investigations are ongoing. The court has ordered the release of the robbed tanker and its fuel, citing safety concerns.
Source: GNA
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