Obuasi fatal gang attack: Ashanti South Police arrest murder suspect

By Samuel Ofori Boateng, GNA 

Bekwai (Ash), July 16, GNA – The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old man suspected of murdering another man during a violent gang-related attack at Abompe New Site in Obuasi. 

Seidu Masawudu, popularly known as Marshall, was apprehended during an intelligence-led operation at Soe, in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region. 

The operation also resulted in the arrest of his 22-year-old girlfriend, a resident of Tweapease, near Obuasi, who is assisting the Police with ongoing investigations. 

Addressing a press briefing at Asante Bekwai on Wednesday, the Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, said Masawudu had been on the Obuasi Police Command’s wanted list in connection with the murder of Abdul Jabal Suleman, which occurred in the early hours of July 9, 2026. 

According to the Police, at approximately 2:20 a.m. on the day of the incident, officers received a distress call reporting that, a group of young men, allegedly led by Masawudu and armed with firearms and cutlasses, had attacked the deceased and inflicted severe injuries on him at Abompe New Site. 

A police operational team was immediately dispatched to the scene. 

However, the assailants had fled before the officers arrived. 

The team subsequently proceeded to the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital, where the victim had been rushed for emergency medical treatment. 

Medical personnel later confirmed that Abdul Jabal Suleman had died from his injuries. 

DCOP Nyaaba stated that, investigators launched an intensive manhunt immediately after the incident. 

Acting on credible intelligence that the prime suspect had fled to Soe in the Bongo District, the police mounted a targeted operation on Saturday, July 11, 2026, leading to his arrest. 

The Regional Commander disclosed that during interrogation, Masawudu admitted his involvement in the killing and identified other accomplices, namely Happy Bowmin (alias Oboy), Mallam Karim, Malik, Balanga, Basit, Nazir, Nuhu and Jedus (alias Baron). 

He told investigators that the fatal attack stemmed from a rivalry between criminal gangs. 

The Police said efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects and assured the public that no effort would be spared in bringing all those connected with the crime to justice. 

Masawudu is expected to be arraigned before the court to face the appropriate charges, while investigations continue. 

DCOP Nyaaba reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property across the region and warned criminals that the Ashanti South Region would remain hostile to criminal activities. 

He urged members of the public to continue supporting the Police by volunteering credible information that would aid crime prevention and the arrest of offenders. 

GNA 

Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Benjamin Mensah