Ghana Police Interdict Seven Officers Over Alleged ATM Extortion in Accra

The Ghana Police Service has interdicted seven of its own personnel following allegations that they extorted money from a member of the public in Accra and forced him to withdraw cash from an ATM to pay them.

What Allegedly Happened
According to a statement issued by the Police Service on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and signed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Richmond Mensah, Staff Officer at the Public Affairs Directorate, the seven officers were members of a patrol team operating in Accra.

They are alleged to have demanded money from a victim and then compelled him to withdraw the funds from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) so they could collect the cash directly.

Who Was Interdicted
The Police Service publicly named all seven officers involved: Inspector Courage Boateng, General Sergeant Stephen Addo, General Corporal Moses Anyravi, General Corporal Prosper Adiabo, General Lance Corporal Samuel Anokye, General Constable Henrietta Coleman, and General Constable Bernard Amoako.

The group spans several ranks within the service, from Inspector down to Constable, indicating the alleged misconduct was not confined to junior officers acting alone but potentially involved an entire patrol unit.

What Happens Next
The interdiction which removes the officers from active duty while the matter is investigated has been ordered specifically to allow Ghana's Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) to carry out a full investigation into the allegations. The PPSB is the internal unit responsible for probing complaints of misconduct and professional breaches by police personnel.

The Police Service said the case would be thoroughly investigated and that appropriate action would follow based on the outcome, without pre-judging the officers' guilt ahead of that process.

Part of a Broader Pattern of Scrutiny
The case adds to a difficult recent stretch for public confidence in the Ghana Police Service. It comes just one day after General Corporal Robert Katey Koranteng, 34, was formally arraigned at the Adabraka District Court on a murder charge, following the death of a 20-year-old Central University law student during a motorbike pursuit on the Tema Motorway the previous month.

Taken together, the two cases one involving an alleged killing during an enforcement operation, the other alleged extortion by an entire patrol team have renewed public commentary about police accountability and the adequacy of internal oversight mechanisms like the PPSB in addressing misconduct within the service.

Police extortion complaints, particularly incidents involving officers pressuring civilians for cash during traffic stops or street patrols, have long been a recurring public grievance in Ghana, making the size and rank-range of this particular interdicted group notable even by that standard.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. ( USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
3News, "Police interdict 7 officers for alleged extortion," September 16, 2026

MyJoyOnline, "Police interdict seven officers over alleged extortion in Accra"

Ghanaian Times, "Police interdict seven officers over alleged extortion"

Rainbow Radio Online, "Seven Police personnel interdicted over alleged extortion in Accra"

YEN.com.gh, "Ghana Police Service Interdicts 7 Officers Over Alleged Extortion in Accra"

Adomonline.com, "Ghana Police Service interdict seven officers over alleged extortion"

abcnewsgh.com, "Police Interdict Seven Officers Over Alleged Extortion in Accra"