Metro Mass Bus Loaded With Guns

THE POLICE in Kumasi have impounded a Tamale-bound Metro Mass Transit bus, fully laden with offensive weapons including machetes and assortment of long range guns, numbering about 200.

The bus, with registration number AS 6810 Z, coming from Osino in the Eastern Region, had stopped at the MMT station at Abrepo Junction in Kumasi to refuel on Sunday morning to continue with the journey.

A station attendant, who thought the bus had reached its final destination, then opened the basement of the bus, with the intention to unload the goods but he spotted the weapons instead and raised the alarm, leading to the arrest of the bus.  

About ten people, all male, who are believed to be owners of the deadly weapons and the driver of the bus, have been apprehended by the police. They are assisting in investigations.

It was not clear who was behind the transportation of the deadly weapons.

The paper could also not ascertain what influenced the arrested men to decide to ferry the weapons to the northern part of the country at a time that the country was preparing for general elections.

When DAILY GUIDE visited the Kumasi Central Police Station on Sunday around 11:30am, the impounded bus was parked right in front of the Ashanti Regional Police MTTU office.

Some of the deadly weapons were also packed at the premises, with some policemen watching over them.

Some persons believed to be the owners of the weapons were also seen carrying some of the weapons on their shoulders from the bus to one of the offices at the station.

Top police officers in the city and some regional security personnel were also locked up in an office at the Buffalo Unit where they were interrogating the arrested persons.

DAILY GUIDE 's attempts to get the police to officially comment on the arrest proved futile, as the police officers around were reluctant to brief the paper about what was going on.

Meanwhile, the driver of the bus, who declined to mention his name, told DAILY GUIDE that the persons onboard hired his bus from Osino where they attended a funeral. They were returning to Tamale.

He said he was informed before the weapons were packed into the bus, stressing that he allowed the people to load the weapons into his vehicle because they were not harmful as 'they use it to entertain people during funerals in Tamale'.

The driver indicated that they embarked on the journey smoothly without any problem until they reached the Kumasi MMT office at Abrepo Junction where he stopped to refuel the bus.

He said immediately he parked the bus, one of the station attendants rushed to the car and tried opening the luggage compartment. He said a man in the bus shouted at the boy not to open it.

The station attendant, who thought that the car had reached its final destination, insisted that he would open the compartment and unload the goods, possibly for a fee, so he indeed opened it.

The persistence of the station boy infuriated the men in the bus so they quickly got down and engaged him in fisticuffs. The melee attracted more people to the scene.

The crowd spotted the deadly weapons in the bus and the police were quickly called to the scene to arrest the driver and the owners of the offensive weapons.

 FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi