The police have arrested the kingpin of one of the two groups involved in the violent clash at Nima, a suburb of Accra, in the Ayawaso East Municipality.
The suspect, Ali Awudu, aka Bombom, is the leader of the “Bombom group”, one of the rival groups that fought in Nima on January 18, 2022.
The other group, “Kumodzi group”, is led by Ibrahim Hussain, aka Kumodzi, based in Nima and Maamobi.
Awudu was arrested at Aflao in the Volta Region through an intelligence-led operation.
Hussain was arrested 17 days after the incident, while it took the police about a month to arrest Awudu.
Briefing the Daily Graphic about the arrest, the Director General of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwesi Ofori, said Awudu had been detained in connection with the violent clash, and was being processed for court.
Mr Ofori assured the public that the police would do whatever it took to arrest other members of the gangs and dismantle their activities through the due process of the law.
He indicated that the police were still pursuing other gang members believed to have participated in the Nima violent clash, and appealed to traditional leaders, opinion leaders and the public to support with credible information about the hideouts of the rest of the members.
Court
The arrest of Awudu brings to 14 the total number of persons arrested by the police in connection with the said disturbance.
Out of that number, 11 of them have been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court between February 1 and 15, 2022.
On February 1, the Accra Circuit Court granted the eight suspects a total sum of GH¢ 640,000 bail and remanded two.
Each of the eight accused persons was admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 with two sureties each.
As part of the bail conditions, they are to report to the Nima Divisional Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service twice every week, and sign a bond to be of good behaviour.
The suspects were charged with conspiracy to riot with weapons, rioting with weapons and causing harm to two persons, Frimpong Boateng and Shaibu Abdul Razak, who are said to be receiving treatment.
The eight on bail are Abdul Gafaru Mahama, Atarouwa Bassam, Abdul Mumuni Gariba, Mohammed Saabi Barinu, Bashiru Ganiru, Illiasu Salim, Ibrahim Moro and Issah Seidu.
Those remanded were Aziz Suleman and Farouk Dawda, aka Omoni.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared at the court, presided over by Ms Rosemary Baah Tosu.
Kumodzi before court
On February 15, 2022, Kumodzi was admitted to bail along with three other suspects — Farouk Dawda, aka Omoni, Aziz Suleman and Zakari Mohammed, aka Miller — by an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Rosemary Baah Tosu.
Farouk Dawda and Aziz Suleman had earlier been reamanded into police custody by the court.
The four were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties each.