Five arrested for impersonating National Security operatives, robbing Western North mining site

Five individuals impersonating National Security operatives have been arrested by police in the Western North Region for their alleged involvement in conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful damage, and stealing at a mining site.

In a press conference held at the regional police headquarters in Sefwi-Wiawso, Regional Commander DCOP Dr Francis Kwame Tsidi disclosed that the suspects were taken into custody on April 2, 2026, at approximately 6:00 p.m., following intelligence reports.

According to him, the group, dressed in National Security attire, had been traversing communities around Suiaboi, including mining sites, demanding documentation from miners and seizing items under the guise of official duties.

Their actions raised suspicion among residents, some of whom confronted them while others trailed the group to Dadieso. Acting swiftly on the intelligence, police intercepted and arrested the suspects.

The suspects have been identified as Amponsah Asare Wagan, 33; Nelson Agbodzah, 28; Awedagah Norbert, 27; Francis Brefo, 35; and Benjamin Boakye, 48, the driver of a Toyota Hilux vehicle with registration number GX 1095-19.

They were subsequently transported to the Dadieso Police Station for further investigations.

During interrogation, some of the suspects claimed to be affiliated with state institutions. Amponsah Asare Wagan reportedly presented himself as a medical doctor, a son of a security capo and a branch communicator of the NDC at Kwadaso.

DCOP Dr Francis Kwame Tsidi

Others, including Nelson Agbodzah and Awedagah Norbert, claimed links to National Security operations at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and the NADMO office at Nhyeaso. Francis Brefo also claimed to be a National Security operative.

Preliminary police investigations have refuted claims that the suspects were affiliated with National Security, revealing instead that at least two of them, Amponsah Asare Wagan and Francis Brefo, are unemployed and have no ties to National Security.

The police investigation indicates that the operation was premeditated. Amponsah Asare Wagan allegedly assembled the group in Kumasi under the pretext of gathering intelligence at Bibiani, but later diverted them to a mining site at Suiaboi in the Dadieso area.

At the site, the suspects allegedly caused damage to mining equipment, ransacked rooms belonging to workers, and made away with mobile phones and an amount of GH¢2,000.00.

A search conducted in the vehicle, which had been rented from a Kumasi-based company,

LEASAFRIC, led to the retrieval of several items, including two car batteries, three water pumping machines, a starter, a hose, a metal object suspected to be part of an excavator, five mobile phones, a bunch of keys, a live AA cartridge, and a pair of military camouflage trousers.

Police say Amponsah Asare Wagan has confessed to orchestrating the operation, claiming he was contracted by a former employee of the mining site, identified only as Yaw, who allegedly sought to expose the activities of his former employer.

Authorities have since obtained documentation from the car rental company to support investigations. The suspects are expected to be arraigned before court upon the conclusion of investigations.

Police have assured the public of their commitment to clamp down on individuals who impersonate security personnel to commit crimes and have urged citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.