The Ghana Police Service has listed a Toyota Highlander it claimed to have impounded in 2019 as the same vehicle it says was recovered from suspects allegedly involved in a foiled armed robbery operation in the Labone area of Accra on Thursday, August 13, 2026, raising questions about its account of the incident.
The police on Thursday said it arrested a Nigerian in connection with a failed bank robbery operation in Labone and subsequently published details of a Toyota Highlander allegedly used by the suspects.
The vehicle was identified with registration number “GS 1434 18”.
However, checks by SaharaReporters and information from sources have revealed that Ghanaian police authorities had, in 2019, reported impounding a Toyota Highlander bearing the same registration number.
According to official information on a 2019 operation seen by SaharaReporters, the Elubo District Police Command arrested three men who allegedly posed as inspectors of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) assigned to conduct inspections at liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stations in the Western Region.
The vehicle reportedly seized during that operation was a Toyota Highlander with registration number “GS 1434 18”, the same registration number the Ghana Police Service has now identified as belonging to a vehicle allegedly used in the August 2026 armed robbery operation.
Indeed, a March 21, 2019 report by Graphic Online disclosed the arrest of three men by the Elubo District Police Command for posing as National Petroleum Authority (NPA) inspectors assigned to conduct inspections at liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stations in Ghana’s Western Region.
According to the report, the suspects, identified as Frederick Mensah, Isaac Opoku Mensah, and George Larbi, were arrested with the assistance of NPA staff members at one of the LPG stations in Elubo, after introducing themselves as officers from a company contracted by the regulator to perform official inspection duties.
The imposters reportedly arrived at the gas stations in a Toyota Highlander and charged about GH¢2,250 per fuel station, after which they issued hand-written receipts on a piece of paper.
“The Toyota Highlander used for the operation, with registration number GS 1434-18, has since been impounded,” the 2019 report added.
It remains unclear how the same vehicle could have been impounded by the Ghanaian authorities in 2019 and subsequently be presented as a vehicle recovered from suspected armed robbers seven years later.
The apparent discrepancy has raised questions about the accuracy of the police’s account of the Labone incident and the identity and history of the vehicle it said was recovered from the suspects.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity expressed disappointment over the development.
“How do you explain that the police paraded a vehicle with a number plate in 2019, said it impounded it and then paraded the same number plate in 2026 as the one used for a supposed criminal operation”, the source told SaharaReporters.
The development adds a new twist to the controversy surrounding the reported foiled attack on banks in Labone on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
The Ghana Police Service had said it arrested a Nigerian, identified as Augustine Okechuku Maazi, during an operation that left two other suspected robbers dead following a gun battle, while another suspect reportedly escaped.
According to the police, the incident occurred after it received intelligence that a gang of robbers was preparing to attack GCB Bank, Ecobank and Zenith Bank, all located in the Labone area.
The police said the intelligence was received at about 10:45am, prompting the immediate deployment of a response team to the area.
However, GCB Bank on Friday denied that an attempted robbery occurred at its Labone Branch in Accra, despite the police’s claim that officers had foiled an alleged robbery targeting three banks in the area.
In a statement issued by its Corporate Affairs department, the bank said its attention had been drawn to reports concerning an attempted robbery in the Labone area, with references being made to GCB Bank.
“GCB Bank wishes to clarify that no robbery or attempted robbery took place at our Labone Branch or on the Bank’s premises,” the statement said.
GCB Bank also said there was no breach of its premises and that no customer, employee, funds or property belonging to the bank was affected.
“At no point was the branch breached, and no customer, member of staff, funds or property of the Bank was affected,” it said.
According to the Ghana Police Service, officers who arrived at Labone spotted members of the suspected gang in vehicles parked close to the banks.
“Upon sighting the police, one of the vehicles sped off in an attempt to escape,” the police said in its statement.
The officers reportedly pursued the vehicle and arrested Maazi, while another occupant escaped.
The police said suspects in a second vehicle also attempted to flee while firing at officers.
“The robbers in the second vehicle also tried to escape amidst firing,” the statement said.
The confrontation reportedly escalated into a gun battle, resulting in the death of two of the suspected robbers.
“The police engaged them in a shoot-out resulting in the death of two suspects,” the Service said.
Following the operation, the police said officers recovered two vehicles allegedly linked to the suspects.
The vehicles were identified as a Toyota Highlander with registration number GS-1434-18 and a Hyundai Tucson with registration number GS 7915-17.
The apparent reuse of the “GS 1434 18” registration number in the police’s 2026 account, despite its previous identification in an official 2019 police report, now raises questions requiring clarification from the Ghana Police Service.
(SaharaReporters)