Ghana's Most Wanted Arrested

General News of Friday, 14 March 2003

Police on Thursday arrested two top notorious armed robbers, one of whom the Greater Accra Regional Command recently posted 10 million cedis reward to anyone who would assist in his capture.
Mr Bright Oduro, Regional Crime Officer, told the Ghana News Agency that Hope was known among his fellow robbers as " Kingpin" or "Striker" because he killed his victims upon the least resistance during robberies.
"He is noted for his intolerance and ready shooting."
The other robber, Ziggy is also connected with some of the major robberies in the Metropolis.
Narrating how Hope was apprehended, Mr Oduro, who is a Superintendent of Police, said that following a tip-off, the Police went to Adabraka Sahara around 0100 hours on Thursday and approached Hope and some of his accomplices.
He said upon seeing the Police, Hope jumped into the Odaw River and swam across it and went over a wall and entered the compound of a warehouse.
Unfortunately for Hope some dogs and the Watchman of the warehouse attacked Hope and during his struggle with the Watchman, the Police, who had been chasing him, got to the scene and arrested him.
Upon initial interrogation he admitted masterminding some of the robberies in the Metropolis.
He said, " Hope is noted to be merciless. He shoots on the slightest resistance put up by any of his victims."
He said Hope led the robbery attack in which one Quartey was killed, when he refused to surrender his Mercedes Benz car at Liquart at North Kaneshie in December last year. Other accomplices in that incident were Apetoe and Cash, who were still at large.
He said Hope also planned and executed the shooting to death of Mufu, an ex-convict, at Flamingo, near Russia on February 3 this year, because they thought he was a Police informer.
He said Hope was again involved in the Tantra Hill robbery on January 18 this year in which he shot the victim in the thigh and took away his BMW car and went and sold it to one Osei Wayo in Kumasi.

Ibrahim Jibiri, alias " Chop Better" now in Police grips, Aryeetey and one Isaac were the accomplices of Hope in that robbery.

Another robbery masterminded by Hope was on January 16 this year when with other robbers - Owuraku, Apetoe and Aryeetey they trailed a woman, who had returned from Germany from the airport to her Kwashieman residence and robbed her of 7,000 Euros and personal belongings.

He said several robberies had been traced to Hope, whose modus operandi was to either maim or kill his victims.
Mr Oduro said Ziggy, who was arrested upon a tip off at his hideout at Achimota while having his bath, was involved in mainly car-snatching incidents and also the tailing of people from the airport and banks at Dansoman and the Industrial area.
He said Ziggy was involved in the incident at Zoti in Lartebiokoshi, where a young woman returning from London was tailed from the airport and robbed of 5,000 Pounds Sterling and on the same day again robbed a businessman of 120 million cedis at Tema Community Two.
He said Ziggy operated with Jerry, who was arrested about two weeks ago, and Otu and Ragga, who were still at large and had been put on the Police wanted list.