Crime and fraud investigations in West Africa

Law enforcement in West Africa, specifically in Ghana and Nigeria, have conducted several arrests involving violent crime and financial fraud.

In Ghana, police arrested two suspects following a June 2026 robbery in Gomoa Dominase that killed a mobile money vendor. Investigators tracked the victim’s stolen iPhone, leading to the arrest of Isaac Baffoe in Takoradi and a phone technician, Prince Tawiah Baidoo, who allegedly refurbished the stolen device.

In the Ashanti Region, authorities rescued 30-year-old Bismark Amoh following an alleged kidnapping and torture incident in Kumasi. Four suspects, including teacher Mavis Badu Acheampong, are in custody. The suspects allegedly lured Amoh to Kumasi to recover GH¢44,800 lost to a mobile money and bank fraud scheme. The victim’s family described the fraud as a sophisticated scam where the victim was tricked into resetting security codes, claiming the kidnapping was a direct response to the theft.

In Accra, Abubakar Altine and Eric Tettey Adjetey were arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate a susu collector, Esther Dankwa, over an unpaid debt after being intercepted during an ambush in Botwe Old Town.

In Nigeria, the Bauchi State Police Command arrested Gambo Hassan, also known as ‘Anahaka’, for allegedly posing as a commercial motorcycle rider to kidnap, rob, and rape passengers. Investigations have identified at least 35 female victims in the Bauchi metropolis. Additionally, two suspects, Sunusi Muhammad and Idris Aliyu, were arrested for an alleged plot to kidnap and kill a resident of Machiyar Kuka Village following a N1.5 million ransom demand.