Ho, Nov. 24, GNA - Seventeen people, mainly Fulanis, said to be armed highway robbers, were on Tuesday paraded before the media in Ho. Mr David Ampah-Bennin, Volta Regional Police Commander said they were picked up by Police on Tuesday dawn after allegedly robbing passengers travelling on a Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Bus from Tapa-Abotoase to Accra. He said Police got a tip-off through a text message from a passenger, who had overheard another passenger communicating with an unknown person in Fulani that the bus had taken off.

Mr Ampah-Bennin said the police mobilized and met the bus at a spot on the highway where the robbers had blocked the road with logs and stones. He said the robbers had by then robbed the passengers of their phones, moneys and other valuables, but the police, with the support from naval personnel on duty along the Volta Lake, trailed and arrested 17 of the Fulanis at their hideouts.

Mr Ampah-Bennin said police found pellets at the scene of the robbery, indicating that, the robbers had a gun, which the Police were searching for in the area.

He said a vehicle, which the alleged highway robbers had used was impounded.

Mr Ampah-Bennin said the Police seized from the robbers, a fertilizer sack, full of the booty which, included phones, bracelets and countless phone SIM cards. He said the arrests represent a "haul" which might see the end of the harassments of traders traveling on that important corridor to the cereal, fish, legumes and yam markets in the northern part of the region. Mr Ampah-Bennin said one of those arrested, Mohamadu Abubakar was suspected to have been involved in the recent highway robbery at Juapong. Names of the other suspects are Abubakar Muhamed, Mohamadu Gariba, Abu More and Abubakar Aliu, 40, who was said to have made the call to the rest from the bus.

The others are Ibrahim Mohamed, Hassan Jalo, Alhaji Abubakar Mama, Amodu Sata, Mahamudu Guro, Mahamadu Bello, Bukari Ali, Mahamadu Ali, Mohemadu Uonani, Mamo Gariba, Abudu Ba, and Hassan Gajmce Osman. Mr Ampah-Bennin called for public support in tracking down criminals, saying in this particular case, some residents had long suspected them to be miscreants but failed to report.

Mr Edward Konyel, Regional Crime Officer said passengers on board the bus gave assurance to return to help police in investigations. Miss Suzzie Owusu-Boateng, Greater-Accra MMT Regional Manager, who confirmed the incident, said it was about the third of such attacks on the company's buses this year.

She said the report submitted by the driver indicated that the bus, which took off around 0300 hours, encountered road blocks at the outskirts of Nkonya.

Miss Boateng said a taxi cab parked ahead had flashed and dipped its headlight repeatedly, resulting in the driver slowing down. She said thereafter the masked robbers came out of the bush and fired warning shots ordering passengers to surrender all valuables on them. Miss Boateng said the robbers broke the side glass of the bus to get entry into the bus. She said the robbers took the cash bag of the conductor containing 400 cedis, waybills and a phone. Miss Boateng said after the robbery, the driver drove on to report the incident at the Kwamikrom Police Station. 24 Nov. 10