The Ashanti Regional Police Command has launched investigations into an attack on a Jacobu District police patrol team by a group of civilians at Bepotenten Sukuum in the Ashanti Region. The Ashanti Regional Police Command is investigating an attack on a Jacobu District patrol team at Bepotenten in the Ashanti Region, where officers were assaulted, and a service rifle was seized and later recovered.
According to a police statement posted on their social media platform on January 25, 2026, the incident occurred on January 23, 2026, while officers were on routine patrol duties in the area.
The situation reportedly began when the patrol team retrieved a pump-action gun from a 15-year-old boy and directed him to inform the owner to report to the police station with the necessary documents.
In the ensuing clash, police shot one individual who had taken the service weapon, while another person sustained injuries. The service rifle was later recovered by the officers.
The Police Command has strongly condemned the attack on its personnel and cautioned the public against assaulting law enforcement officers. It stressed that all those involved in the incident will be pursued, arrested, and made to face the full rigours of the law. While the officers were returning from the operation, they were confronted by a crowd estimated at 100 people who blocked the road. The group, some of whom were allegedly armed with cutlasses and firearms, assaulted the officers and forcibly seized a service rifle during the confrontation.
The statement follows a viral video circulating on social media that shows a scuffle between police officers and a group believed to be illegal miners at Bepotenten, a galamsey-prone area in the Ashanti Region. The approximately three-minute footage captures tense moments during the confrontation.
