The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the killing of Abdul Jabal Suleman during an alleged gang attack at Abompe New Site in Obuasi.
Seidu Masawudu, also known as Marshall, was arrested at Soe in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region after police intelligence indicated that he had left the Obuasi area.
Officers also detained his 22-year-old girlfriend, a resident of Tweapease near Obuasi. Police said she was assisting the investigation and did not announce a criminal charge against her.
Ashanti South Regional Police Commander Deputy Commissioner Joseph Hammond Nyaaba presented details of the case at a briefing in Asante Bekwai.
Police said they received a distress call at about 2:20 a.m. on July 9 reporting that a group of young men armed with firearms and cutlasses had attacked Mr Suleman at Abompe New Site.
An operational team went to the scene, but the assailants had left. Officers then proceeded to AngloGold Ashanti Hospital, where the injured man had been taken for emergency treatment.
Medical personnel later confirmed his death. Investigators began a manhunt for people suspected of taking part in the attack.
The police account identifies Mr Masawudu as the alleged leader of the group. That description remains an allegation to be tested through the criminal process.
Acting on information that he was at Soe, police mounted an operation on Saturday, July 11, and arrested him. The distance between Obuasi and the Bongo District required the investigation to extend beyond the Ashanti South command area.
DCOP Nyaaba said Mr Masawudu admitted involvement during questioning and named other alleged participants. Any statement obtained during interrogation will be assessed with other evidence and remains subject to the rules governing admissibility and the accused person’s rights.
The names given by police for the people being sought are Happy Bowmin, also known as Oboy; Mallam Karim; Malik; Balanga; Basit; Nazir; Nuhu; and Jedus, also known as Baron.
Investigators said the attack arose from a rivalry between criminal gangs. That alleged motive forms part of the preliminary police case and has not been determined by a court.
Police are continuing efforts to locate the eight people. No finding has been made against them, and the publication of names as wanted suspects does not establish guilt.
The search follows the intelligence-led arrest at Soe on July 11, two days after the fatal attack. Police have not announced arrests of any of the eight additional people named at the briefing.
Mr Masawudu is expected to be put before a court to face charges arising from the investigation. The precise counts and the date of arraignment were not announced at the briefing.
The police will also continue examining the circumstances of the attack, weapons allegedly used, the roles of individual participants and any evidence linking the wanted people to the scene.
No weapons recovery was announced.
Mr Suleman’s death is the central offence under investigation. The hospital confirmation and police response form part of the chronology, while the cause and manner of death may also be addressed through medical and forensic evidence.
The latest status is that one principal suspect is in custody, a second person is assisting investigators and eight alleged accomplices remain wanted. All suspects retain the presumption of innocence unless convicted by a court.
Investigations remain active.
