The police have arrested Ali Awudu, alias Bombom, one of the Nima riot kingpins and leader of the ‘Bombom gang’ involved in the bloody clash that resulted in several injuries.
The police said the suspect has been on the run since the Mamobi-Nima violence, which occurred on 18 January 2022.
He was arrested at Aflao through an intelligence-led operation.
The other gang leader, Ibrahim Hussein, alias Kumordzi, leader of the ‘Kumordzi faction’, was earlier arrested on 4 February 2022 in a similar intelligence-led exercise.
A total of 14 suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, and the police are still pursuing other members of the gang to bring them to face justice.
Kumodzi was earlier admitted to bail with three other suspects, Farouk Dawda aka Omoni, Aziz Suleman and Zakari Mohammed, aka Miller.
They were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties each after the case was called at the Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday, 15 February 2022.
The court presided over by Rosemary Baah Tosu, asked them to report to the Nima police twice every week as part of the bail conditions.
On 1 February 2022, the same court granted eight other accused persons GH¢80,000 bail, each with two (2) sureties each.
They were required to sign a bond of good behaviour and report to the Nima Divisional Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service twice a week.
In an amended charge sheet presented in court, the accused persons face three counts of criminal offences; rioting with weapons, conspiracy to riot with weapons, and causing harm to one Frimpong Boateng and one Shaibu Abdul Razak.
Background
At about 3 pm on 18 January 2022, police received information about several young men engaged in a free-for-all fight with guns, machetes, clubs and knives, leaving several people seriously wounded at Nima.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the violent disturbance was occasioned by a misunderstanding between two gangster groups, the ‘Bombom group’ and the ‘Kumodzi group’ based at Mamobi and Nima Gutter, respectively.
“They are rivalry groups that never agreed on issues, and today [Tuesday], they went all out on the open streets of Nima,” Director-General of Police Public Affairs, ACP Kwesi Ofori, explained.
Dozens of police dressed in full riot gear wear deployed to the area, and seven suspects were arrested initially.
Other suspects were pursued at Nima, and its environs and the police stressed their commitment “to get them arrested to face justice”.
“We have nipped the violence in the bud. We are in control and would like to let the people know that the police are there at Nima to protect lives and property, and we will not give room for such criminals to disturb the peace and security of Nima,” the police said.
Some items were retrieved, including ammunition, 12 spent bullet shells, and adapted implements to cause harm and injury.
Videos shared on social media contained violent scenes akin to a war zone. Gunshots could be heard in some of the videos as passersby screamed and ran for cover.
Some shops were vandalised, and a 53-year-old man who was about to move his car from the scene was hit by a bullet on his left shoulder. He was later treated at the Emergency Ward of the 37 Military Hospital.
Nima is one of Ghana’s largest and oldest Zongo communities, with origins dating centuries ago.
It is known to be one of the flashpoints in the country which harbours gangs and hoodlums.