An officer with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), AICO1 Ahmed Abdul Samad, has been arrested in connection with the 2,600 AK-47 live ammunition intercepted in the Ashanti region recently.
The officer, a native of Nalerigu stationed at the Paga Sector Command, is currently in custody at the Upper East Regional Police Command.
Samad’s arrest comes after 2,600 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition were discovered during a routine highway interception on Friday, December 26, 2025, at the Kantanso – Asankare Police Barrier in the Ashanti region.
Officers on duty flagged down an OA Bus with registration number GT 5771-18, travelling from Accra toward Paga.
After a meticulous search of the vehicle, a hidden cache was discovered, containing:
- 2,600 live AK-47 rounds concealed in two containers within the bus.
- A tactical gear bag stashed beneath the driver’s seat containing two bulletproof plates, a black helmet, and tactical long boots.
- Additional items: An electric diffuser, a disco bulb, and a ballistic helmet.
While the driver, Kwame Afram, and his mate, Godfred Essel, were immediately detained, the paper trail quickly led investigators to the northern border town of Paga.
During a rigorous interrogation, AICO1 Samad denied any criminal intent, instead offering a logistical explanation for the items.
The officer claimed that following his transfer from the Tema Regional Immigration Headquarters –where he served as a dispatch rider — to Paga in June 2025, he had left several personal gear items behind.
According to Samad, he contacted a colleague identified only as Isaac, an officer at the GIS Headquarters in Accra, requesting that his “old black long boot and body armour plate” be sent to his new post.
But, the additional live ammunition discovered alongside the requested items have come as a surprise to the police.
Investigators are now probing whether Isaac exists or if the officer’s gear was used as a decoy for a much more dangerous arms-trafficking operation.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command and the Upper East Command are now collaborating on a joint operation to track the origin of the 2,600 bullets.
Ashanti Region: Police intercept 2,600 AK-47 rounds, tactical gear at Asankare Barrier
