A Fiapre circuit court, in the Brong Ahafo region has granted bail to three out of five alleged armed robbers who attacked passengers on the Nsoatre-Berekum road.

Those granted GHC20,000 bail each with a surety pending the advice from the Attorney General’s Department were Huru Watar 38, Hamza Musah 45, and Abdul Hamidu Zibo 28, all of them unemployed.

The others Abudu Dramani 30, and Suraji Osman 22 all unemployed were remanded into prison custody to assist police in their investigations.

All the accused persons would re-appear on February 22.

Police Chief Inspector Alex Fosu told the court presided over by Mr Benjamin Osei that the complainants were from Saint Theresa’s Parish of the Roman Catholic Church at Berekum.

He said on January 16, they attended a prayer retreat at a grotto near Amanfoso off the Nsoatre-Berekum road and on their return realised that the road had been blocked with boulders and wood with five armed robbers holding guns and clubs.

The prosecutor said the driver reversed and was chased but another vehicle following them could not reverse and was hit with a club on the driver’s side and had the glass broken.

The occupants escaped to the retreat grounds and were later escorted by the Berekum Police to safety.

He said the armed robbers made away with two diaries, a flat file and GHC150.

Chief Inspector Fosu said the police had information the following day that armed robbers had blocked the road and when they got there the robbers had escaped.

They saw that the road had been blocked with teak billets and stones and therefore cleared the road.

He said the police combed the area and found the armed robbers hiding in an uncompleted building and arrested them. They found two live cartridges in Dramani’s pocket and he led the police to a nearby bush where weapons used in the robbery were hidden.

Chief Inspector Fosu said after their arrest, the police conducted an identification parade on Friday, January 18 at the Sunyani Municipal Police Station and Osman was identified as the one who hit the glass with a club and police investigations led to the arrest of the others.