The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has dismantled a notorious highway robbery syndicate responsible for a series of violent attacks, including the high-profile 2025 assault on the convoy of a traditional ruler and Council of State member.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Regional Police Commander DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba revealed that the breakthrough followed a multi-regional intelligence operation conducted between April 25 and 26.

The operation, which spanned the Ashanti, Northern, and Upper East regions, led to the arrest of two primary suspects, Sumaila Munkaila, alias Guda, and Umaro Musah, in Tamale.

According to police reports, Munkaila confessed to his involvement in several roadblock robberies. Among these was the July 2025 attack on the convoy of Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam, the Chiana-Pio and a member of the Council of State.

The gang has also been linked to recent armed robberies along the Buipe-Tamale and Yizesi-Fumbisi highways, which serve as vital transport corridors in northern Ghana.

The investigation took a violent turn when the suspects led officers to a remote area near Yizesi to retrieve buried weaponry. During the recovery, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the police.

In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, the two suspects attempted to escape; they were shot and later pronounced dead at the Tamale Government Hospital.

Police recovered a pump-action shotgun with ammunition, a single-barrel gun, and four jackets used during their operations.

While the deaths of the two key suspects mark a significant development, DCOP Nyaaba stated that the manhunt continues for the remaining members of the network, identified as Tongude, Sumaila, and Berra.

The command described the successful operation as a major victory in the ongoing effort to curb highway crime and protect travelers and high-profile figures from targeted violence.