A Nigerian national, Maazi Okechuku Augustine, has been remanded by the Accra Circuit Court in Ghana over his alleged involvement in a foiled bank robbery operation in the Labone area of Accra.
Augustine is expected to reappear before the court on Wednesday.
He was arrested on Thursday, August 13, 2026, after Ghanaian police said they foiled an alleged plot to rob three banks in the Labone area, namely GCB Bank, Ecobank and Zenith Bank.
The police had earlier said they received intelligence at about 10:45 a.m. that a gang was preparing to attack the banks.
According to the Ghana Police Service, officers deployed to the area spotted suspected members of the gang in vehicles parked near the banks.
The police said one of the vehicles sped away after the suspects sighted the officers, prompting a chase that ended with Augustine’s arrest, while another occupant escaped.
The occupants of a second vehicle allegedly attempted to flee while firing at the police, leading to a shootout in which two suspects were killed.
The police said two vehicles were recovered from the suspects, a Toyota Highlander with registration number GS-1434-18 and a Hyundai Tucson with registration number GS 7915-17, as well as a pistol.
However, the circumstances surrounding the incident remain subject to questions following a denial by GCB Bank that its Labone branch was targeted.
“GCB Bank wishes to clarify that no robbery or attempted robbery took place at our Labone Branch or on the Bank’s premises,” the bank said.
The bank added that the branch was never breached and that no customer, staff member, funds or property was affected.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about whether the suspects were actually preparing to rob the banks as alleged by the police and the precise nature of the operation that led to the arrests and deaths.
Further questions emerged after checks by SaharaReporters showed that the Toyota Highlander bearing registration number GS 1434 18, identified by police as one of the vehicles recovered from the suspects, had reportedly been listed by Ghanaian authorities as impounded in 2019.
The apparent reuse of the registration number has raised questions about the vehicle’s history and aspects of the police account.
The Nigerian High Commission in Ghana has also intervened in the matter following Augustine’s arrest and the deaths of the two other suspects.
Destiny Austine Omon, media coordinator of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, had earlier questioned aspects of the police account, including the location of the alleged robbery, the weapon reportedly recovered and the vehicles allegedly used by the suspects.
“The environment where the robbery took place is one of the safest environments in Ghana. It is close to 37 Military Base, the Ghanian Presidency, police headquarters and cantonment,” Omon told SaharaReporters.
He also questioned whether the weapon allegedly recovered was consistent with the scale of the operation described by the police.
“It does not add up for armed robbers wanting to do that scale of attack to be arrested with only a pistol,” he said.
The President of All Nigerian Communities in Ghana was also reportedly sent to Ghana Police Headquarters to seek clarification over Augustine’s arrest and the deaths of the other suspects.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has maintained that its officers foiled a planned attack on the three banks.
Augustine’s remand means he will remain in custody pending his next appearance before the Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday.
(SaharaReporters)
