The Upper West Regional Police Command has arrested three persons for allegedly possessing firearms and ammunition without licences in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region.
The suspects were picked up on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, during a routine patrol operation at Goziri, a community near Vieri.
They were identified as Yahaya Samad aged 27, Adams Alhassan, 37, and Yiritang Boosi, 35 years.
According to a press statement signed by the Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Yiribaare, and copied to 3news.com, the police officers on patrol spotted a group of about five men openly wielding single-barrel guns and cutlasses, a situation the Command described as a potential threat to public safety.
“On sighting the patrol vehicle, the suspects attempted to flee”, the statement added.
However, the police team pursued them and successfully arrested three of the men.
A search conducted at the scene led to the retrieval of three single-barreled guns, three cutlasses, and 23 BB cartridges from the suspects.
The statement said the suspects were taken to the police station where, during interrogation, they admitted they did not have licences to possess the firearms and ammunition.
They were subsequently arraigned before the Wa Magistrate Court, presided over by His Worship Simon Kofi Bediako, and have been remanded into custody to reappear on February 18, 2026.
Meanwhile, police say efforts are being intensified to arrest the remaining suspects who escaped.
The Regional Police Command commended the vigilance and professionalism of the patrol team and cautioned members of the public, especially those in possession of firearms without valid licences, to regularise their documentation or face decisive police action.
By Ibrahim Abubakari Wangara
