Govt Deploys Disguised Armoured Buses to Combat Highway Robbery
The government has rolled out a new security strategy involving armoured buses disguised as commercial passenger vehicles to tackle the growing menace of highway robbery across the country.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak disclosed the initiative during a town hall meeting held in Damongo in the Savannah Region on Saturday as part of the government’s “Resetting Ghana” tour.
According to the Minister, the specially designed buses are frequently rebranded as popular transport companies, including VIP, STC and OA Travel and Tours, to avoid detection by criminal gangs operating along major highways.
“We have acquired armoured buses, and these armoured buses have been doing a wonderful thing on most of our long stretch roads because we keep branding them differently,” Mr Mubarak said.
“Today we brand them as STC, the next day as VIP, another day as OA, just to make sure that we get the perpetrators,” he added.
The Interior Minister revealed that the operation had already resulted in the arrest of several suspected highway robbers. He commended the Inspector General of Police and the police administration for what he described as a successful intervention aimed at restoring confidence among travellers.
Also addressing the gathering, Roads and Highways Minister Governs Kwame Agbodza linked the rise in highway robberies to deteriorating road conditions in some parts of the country.
He argued that bad roads often force vehicles to slow down, making passengers vulnerable to attacks by armed robbers. Mr Agbodza further expressed concern over delays affecting some road projects under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme.
He singled out contractors working on the Wa-Wiawso corridor, parts of which run through the Savannah Region, describing them as among the lowest-performing contractors. He urged firms that had abandoned project sites to return and resume work immediately.
The town hall meeting also gave the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs the opportunity to present concerns on behalf of the Yagbonwura, Bii Kunuto Jewu Soale I.
The chiefs highlighted challenges including poor road networks, inadequate water supply in Damongo, delays in the construction of a regional hospital, and the need for more districts, a university and the recruitment of Gonja language teachers.
Responding to the concerns, President John Dramani Mahama announced that preparatory work for the Damongo water project had been completed and that procurement processes were underway.
He also disclosed plans to establish a science and technology university in the Savannah Region, supported by a US$30 million grant from China and an additional US$100 million funding request submitted to the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.
