ARMED ROBBERS KILL PASSENGER ON TARKWA-KUMASI BUS (BACK PAGE, NOV 13, 2010)

Armed robbers yesterday shot dead a passenger during an attack on a Tarkwa-Kumasi-bound bus.
The robbers struck at Yawbrea-Nkwanta in the Aowin Suaman District of the Western Region and one of the passengers, Asua Mesu, 30, a sand contractor and farmer who attempted to disarm one of the robbers of an AK47 rifle, was shot at close range.
The incident occurred after the armed robbers had allegedly robbed passengers on a 207 Benz bus and used the bus to block the road at Yawbrea-Nkwanta.
According to Mr Bafour Asare, a driver of one of the buses that was attacked, his was the last vehicle to stop at the blockade. He said, “the robbers came to my car and ordered the passengers and I to come out of the vehicle, which we did”.
He said the robbers made him lie on the ground after collecting GH¢400.00 and a mobile phone from him, They then conducted a search on the passengers but got only a few mobile phones and money.
Suspecting that the passengers might have hidden the money on the bus, the robbers moved into the bus to search it. In the process, Mesu jumped on the robber holding the AK47 rifle and struggled with him and just when he (Mesu) was about overpowering the robber, another robber hit his head with a club, sending him sprawling to the ground.
“The magazine containing the ammunition fell from the gun, but the robbers managed to pick and fix it, cocked the gun and shot him in front of the other passengers,” he said.
The driver confirmed that there had been armed robbery attacks on the road recently but his colleagues convinced him that the police were patrolling the road and so it was safe to travel, adding that he least expected the attack because at the time of the incident, it was almost 6 a.m.
Mr Asare said after shooting the passenger, the robbers then aborted their intention to rob more vehicles and fled into the bush.
The Enchi District Police Commander, Mr Isaac Akligbe, who confirmed the incident said the attack was the second in less than 12 days.
He said as a result of that the police in the district had intensified its intelligence gathering and extended its patrol hours in the Enchi area.
Mr Akligbe said the police had patrolled the area throughout the night and returned to base but just when they were preparing some suspects for court, they had a distress call that there had been an attack on a passenger bus.
He assured the public that the police would do everything possible to apprehend the suspects and also ensure more police presence on the road.
He, however, appealed to the public not to struggle with armed robbers because they risk losing their lives when they did so.