Police in the Western North Region have arrested five individuals, including a driver, for allegedly impersonating National Security operatives and carrying out a raid on mining sites at Suiaboi in the Suaman District.
The suspects — Amponsah Asare Wagan, 33; Nelson Agbodzah, 28; Awedagah Norbert, 27; Francis Brefo, 35; and their driver, Benjamin Boakye, 48 — were apprehended on April 2, 2026, following what authorities describe as a swift intelligence-led operation.
Confirming the incident, the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Tsidi, said the group had reportedly been moving across communities disguised as security personnel, demanding documentation from miners and confiscating items at various sites.
Their activities reportedly aroused suspicion among residents in the area, prompting some to confront them while others alerted the police.
According to a police report, officers intercepted the suspects while they were attempting to leave the area and subsequently transported them to the Dadieso Police Station. “We acted immediately on the information received and arrested all five individuals along their route,” the police said.
Preliminary investigations have revealed conflicting accounts from the suspects regarding their identities and affiliations. The alleged leader, Wagan, reportedly claimed to be a medical doctor, the son of a security official, and a political party branch communicator based in Kwadaso.
The other suspects also gave varying accounts, linking themselves to institutions such as National Security, the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, and NADMO. However, police investigations indicate that some of them have no ties to any security agency and are currently unemployed.
Police believe the operation was carefully planned. Investigators say Wagan assembled the group in Kumasi under the pretext of gathering intelligence in Bibiani but instead directed them to Suiaboi.
He is said to have rented a Toyota Hilux from LEASAFRIC, with Boakye serving as the driver. Upon arrival at the mining site, the suspects allegedly vandalised equipment, ransacked workers’ accommodation, and made away with mobile phones and an amount of GHS 2,000.
A search conducted on the rented vehicle uncovered several items suspected to have been stolen, including car batteries, water pumping machines, a starter, a hose, a metal excavator component, five mobile phones, keys, a live AA cartridge, and a pair of military camouflage trousers.
In a further development, police disclosed that Wagan later admitted he had been contracted by a former employee of the mining site, identified only as Yaw, to “expose the activities” of his former employer, believed to be the site owner.
On April 4, the Transport Manager of LEASAFRIC, Francis Duah, submitted all relevant documentation relating to the rented vehicle to support the ongoing investigation.
Police say the suspects will be arraigned before court once investigations are completed, adding that efforts are underway to verify their identities and determine the full scope of their operations.
