Court orders police to file disclosures in Labone robbery case

The Accra Circuit Court has mandated the Police to file disclosures in the case against Augustine Okechuku Maazi, an unemployed Nigerian national. Maazi faces eight charges, including conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery and actual robbery. He pleaded not guilty during his court appearance and was remanded into custody, with a reappearance scheduled for September 16, 2026.

Prosecutors have stated that ongoing investigations are aimed at apprehending Maazi's alleged accomplices, who are still at large. They oppose any consideration of bail, citing Maazi's lack of a fixed abode and claims he resides in a hotel. The prosecution emphasizes that police investigations linked Maazi and five other suspects to multiple robberies between May and August 13, 2026, in Tema, Spintex and Labone.

The group allegedly operated in neighboring Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, according to the prosecution. Two of Maazi's accomplices died during a police operation on August 13, 2026, during an alleged robbery attempt in Labone, targeting banks. The Office of the Special Operations Assistant to the Inspector-General of Police (SOA-IGP) received numerous complaints from bank customers in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area about robberies by suspected armed syndicates.

Surveillance teams monitored the suspected syndicate's activities at banks in the Greater Accra and Tema metropolitan areas. CCTV footage revealed the suspects traveling in a Toyota Highlander and a Hyundai Tucson. Police investigations indicated that the group's leader, Harrison Chinedu, and another suspect known as Dan, were armed with pistols.

On May 17, 2026, the suspects allegedly robbed a woman at gunpoint after she withdrew GH¢50,000 from Republic Bank's Tema branch. On June 11, 2026, they attacked a man at gunpoint after he withdrew an unspecified amount of money from Republic Bank's Achimota branch and was returning home. The group typically operated during banking hours in Accra and Tema.

On August 13, 2026, the SOA-IGP surveillance team intercepted the suspects traveling in a black Hyundai Tucson and an ash-colored Toyota Highlander, both with specific registration numbers. Maazi was in the Toyota Highlander near Zenith Bank and GCB Bank in Labone. The police arrested the Hyundai Tucson driver while the other occupants escaped. The Toyota Highlander fled, and a chase ensued, ending 30 meters from GCB and Zenith Bank branches at Labone.

During the exchange of gunfire, two accomplices were shot and died at the Police Hospital, while another vehicle collided with several vehicles, including police cars. Forensic analysis of the Toyota Highlander revealed two registration plates and a Blow F90 pistol. Preliminary investigations suggest the suspects brought vehicles from Nigeria and replaced foreign plates with Ghanaian numbers for their operations. Investigations continue to locate and apprehend the remaining alleged accomplices, who remain at large.