Ten suspects have been arrested by the Eastern South Regional Police Command and retrieved nine weapons in separate security operations in Akwatia, ahead of Tuesday, September 2, 2025, by-election.
Eight pump-action guns and a locally manufactured single-barrel gun were among the seized weapons during the series of snap checks and targeted operations meant to prevent any unlawful possession of firearms during the election.
Police on Friday, August 22, intercepted a vehicle being driven by one Bernard Kumi Ofosu at the St. Dominic Hospital where a Tulpar double-barreled pump-action gun, four AAA live cartridges, and two blank cartridges were uncovered. Although Ofosu produced a licence for the firearm, he remains in custody while the weapon undergoes verification.
At the Akwatia Y-Junction snap check, officers arrested Joshua Amenuku after finding 15 live BB cartridges on him. A subsequent search at his residence uncovered an ADLER Tulpar pump-action gun and five more cartridges.
Later the same day, police at the Boadua Livingstone checkpoint arrested Enoch Asiedu and Lu Youyan, a Chinese national, after four live cartridges were discovered in a Toyota Hilux pickup. The ammunition was reportedly linked to their employer, identified only as Mohammed, who is being sought by police.
In another operation on Saturday, August 23, officers arrested Joseph Pieterson at Boadua Livingstone Junction with an ADLER Tulpar pump-action gun and 46 cartridges in his vehicle. The suspect admitted ownership.
That evening, a Toyota Tundra pickup with registration WR 5535-13 was intercepted at Staff Village, Boadua. A search uncovered three pump-action guns — a Pardus, a Hulglu Atroe, and another unidentified brand. Stephen Nkansah, who claimed ownership of two of the guns and said the third belonged to his chief, was arrested.
The Eastern South Regional Police Command says the operations form part of intensified efforts to secure the Akwatia by-election, stressing that similar measures will continue to ensure peace before, during, and after the polls.
These arrests and weapon seizues come at a time when security is under intense scrutiny in Akwatia, with political parties heightening campaigns ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested by-election.
The Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has assured the public that the police will ensure maximum security during the exercise, warning potential troublemakers not to attempt to foment trouble on September 2.
