A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his involvement in an armed robbery at a mining site in Manso Akwasiso, Ashanti South Region, in 2022.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, popularly known as Fanta, was arrested on February 16, 2026, after evading capture for nearly four years. He pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and was accordingly sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The incident occurred on March 20, 2022, when the Manso Adubia District Police Command received credible intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to rob a mining site at Manso Akwasiso of gold concentrate belonging to the owner.
Acting on the tip-off, the police mounted a surveillance operation and positioned a team in ambush at the site. At approximately 5:30 pm that day, four armed men arrived, fired indiscriminately to intimidate the miners, and proceeded to rob them of the gold concentrate.
The police intervention team engaged the suspects in a shootout. Three of the robbers, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire and were pronounced dead on arrival at St. Martins Catholic Hospital in Agroyesum.
Dominic Ofori managed to escape at the time but remained on the run until his arrest earlier this year.
The Police Service in a publication issued on Monday, March 2, 2026, reiterated its unwavering commitment to fighting violent crime and ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.
The police assured the public that efforts to rid communities of armed robbery and other serious offences will continue without let-up.