Hijacked: 'Passengers' Take Over Bus

Paul Tawiah Quaye, Inspector General of Police

The familiar mode of operation of highway robbers has been to mount road blocks and rob passengers of their valuables, but they seem to have improved upon this method.

Last Friday night, four armed robbers, posing as passengers, boarded a Takoradi-bound Yutong bus form Accra and on the way, allegedly ‘hijacked’ the bus, beat up some of the passengers and robbed them of their mobile phones, moneys and other valuable items.

Four of the passengers, identified as Richard Allotey, Barbara Issah, Anthony Dadzie and Stephen Aidoo, who sustained minor injuries from the beatings from the robbers, were treated at the Saltpond Hospital and later discharged.

After the incident, which occurred at a spot just before the Apam Junction, the robbers bolted in a BMW car which was waiting at the spot.

The police at the Apam Junction have mounted investigations into the incident but are yet to make any arrest.

According to Superintendent Emmanuel Odonkor, the Mfantseman Police Commander, the robbers posed as passengers and boarded the bus with registration number GC 4871 Z, travelling from Accra to Takoradi.

Superintendent Odonkor said two of the robbers sat at the back of the bus with locally manufactured pistols apparently concealed on their bodies while a third one sat in front the bus with an AK47 rifle on him.

He said about 10:30 p.m, when the bus reached a spot just before Apam Junction, one of the robbers shot through the roof of the Yutong and ordered the driver to stop.

The robbers then searched and robbed all the passengers of money and mobile phones.

They then boarded a BMW car parked nearby and drove off.

Superintendent Odonkor said the driver of the bus, Mr Narh Angmor, made a report to the police on Monday and after initial investigations, the case has been referred to the Apam Police Station for further investigations.

He appealed to the various transport unions to put in place measures to search passengers before being allowed to board the vehicles to reduce similar incidents in future.