Police gun down two suspected robbers in Upper East Region ambush

Police in Ghana have shot and killed two suspected armed robbers after unknown assailants opened fire on an investigative team during a weapons retrieval operation near Fumbisi in the Upper East Region.

The deceased, Sumaila Munkaila, 37, also known as Guda, and Umaro Musah, were pronounced dead on arrival at Tamale Government Hospital, according to a police situational report obtained by Graphic Online.

The incident unfolded on April 26, 2026, after Munkaila—arrested two days earlier in Tamale following an intelligence-led operation—led police to a bush at Yizesi, near Fumbisi, where he and his accomplices had allegedly buried weapons following a recent robbery. Munkaila had been wanted for a series of roadblock robberies along the Obuasi and Manso–Nyinahin stretch in the Ashanti Region.

During the search, unknown persons hiding in nearby bushes opened fire on the police team. Both suspects then attempted to flee into the bush, prompting officers to return fire in self-defence. Munkaila and Musah sustained gunshot wounds and later died at the hospital. One officer suffered minor injuries and is receiving treatment. A third suspect, identified only as Tongude, managed to escape with gunshot wounds.

Despite the ambush, the team proceeded with the search and recovered a significant cache of weapons concealed in sacks and buried underground. The haul included one CZ805 assault rifle loaded with 14 rounds of 5.56×39mm ammunition, one AK-47 assault rifle loaded with 28 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition plus an additional 28 rounds, a pump-action gun with six BB cartridges, and a single-barrel gun. Four jacket attires, which the suspects reportedly identified as clothing used in their robberies, were also found.

Munkaila had allegedly admitted during interrogation to multiple offences, including the July 2025 attack on the convoy of Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam, the Chiana-Pio, as well as roadblock robberies on the Buipe–Tamale stretch on April 21, 2026, and the Yizesi–Fumbisi roadblock robbery on April 22, 2026. He further implicated Musah and three other individuals believed to be Fulani indigenes.

Police continue investigations and are pursuing the remaining accomplices.