Tamale, Nov. 2, GNA - Two passengers on the Accra/Tamale bound bus that was alleged robbed and had its passengers mass raped, had described the story as a hoax and said the robbers attempted robbing the Yutong bus with registration GN 263-10 but failed.

Mae Kelbergh Femke, a 25-year-old woman Belgium tourist and her boyfriend, Nuru Yahaya Ole, 25, said they both boarded the bus on October 11.

They told the Northern Regional Police Command that they left Accra on 2000 hours and midway through the journey they realized armed robbers had blocked road and signaled the driver to stop but he drove through road block.

They told the police that the robbers fired at the bus but the driver drove on until he got to the nearest police station and reported the incident.

The two said they took pictures of the bullet marks.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Roy Ayinibisa Aminu, the incoming the Northern Regional Police Commander, appealed to the media to be circumspect in their reportage in order to get their facts right. He said the reportage regarding the purported mass rape story tried making the public to think the police were not on top of their jobs. Assistant Commissioner of Police Angwubutoge Awuni, the outgoing Northern Police Commander, said Amina Mohammed, who is at the center of the controversy of the mass rape, must be able to prove to the police that the incident indeed occurred.

He said everybody on the bus had denied the incident yet Amina is persisting it happened.

Mr Awuni said the driver of the vehicle and other passengers had also been questioned by the police and had denied any mass rape.