Council of state member survives highway robbery
A member of Ghana’s Council of State narrowly escaped harm after his convoy came under attack on the Buipe–Tamale highway last Sunday, July 20, 2025.
The brazen robbery, carried out by a group of armed men, left the official and his entourage shaken as the attackers made away with valuables and a high-powered rifle.
Pe Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam III, the Chiana-Pio and representative for the Upper East Region, was returning from the Northern Development Conference in Tamale when the incident occurred near Mile 40.
Around 5:00 p.m., the Buipe Police received a distress call and sent out a highway patrol team, but by the time officers arrived, the assailants had vanished.
According to a police bodyguard travelling with the chief, approximately 15 armed men, some masked, blocked the road and opened fire.
He tried to return fire using his sidearm, but it jammed, forcing him to seek cover in nearby bushes. He later discovered that his CZ assault rifle had been stolen from the vehicle.
The attackers also took a range of valuables, including two iPhones, a Samsung phone, GHS 41,000, $200, CFA 3,000, a Lenovo laptop, a smartwatch, and personal items belonging to the chief and his driver, Jacob Apanyina, who was also robbed of GHS 800 and an iPhone 11.
Police recovered spent shells and have launched an investigation. A special unit from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate is now working to trace the attackers.
No injuries were reported.