BREAKING: Ghana Bank Robbery: Nigerian High Commission Questions Police Account After GCB Bank Denial, Arrest Of Nigerian | Sahara Reporters

The police had said a Nigerian, identified as Augustine Okechuku Maazi, was arrested during an operation on Thursday, August 13, 2026, while two other suspected robbers were killed in a gun battle and another suspect escaped.

The Nigerian High Commission in Ghana has intervened in the controversial circumstances surrounding an alleged attempted bank robbery in Accra, with the President of All Nigerian Communities in Ghana reportedly sent to the Ghana police headquarters to seek clarification on the incident.

The development comes amid questions over the Ghana Police Service’s account of the incident, particularly following a denial by GCB Bank that any robbery or attempted robbery occurred at its Labone branch, despite the police claiming that a gang was preparing to attack GCB Bank, Ecobank and Zenith Bank in the area.

The police had said a Nigerian, identified as Augustine Okechuku Maazi, was arrested during an operation on Thursday, August 13, 2026, while two other suspected robbers were killed in a gun battle and another suspect escaped.

However, the media coordinator of the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, Destiny Austine Omon, has questioned aspects of the police account, particularly the location of the alleged incident and the weapons and vehicles reportedly involved.

Austine, who is also a Ghana-based Nigerian filmmaker, producer, and president of the Nollywood Ghana Chapter, in an interview with SaharaReporters, said Labone is among the most heavily secured areas in Ghana, raising questions about how an armed gang could operate there under the circumstances described by the police.

“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,” he told SaharaReporters.

He also questioned the police account concerning the weapon allegedly recovered from the suspects, as well as the vehicles said to have been used during the operation.

“It does not add up for armed robbers wanting to do that scale of attack to be arrested with only a pistol. The armed robbers also used a vehicle that is registered. In Ghana, armed robbers use unregistered vehicles for their operations,” he said.

“In Labone, when you get to the bank areas, you will see officials with AK-47s; the place is very secure, that’s why banks situate their headquarters there and with what the police described, their actions are questionable.”

SaharaReporters also gathered that the Nigerian High Commission has commenced intervention in the matter, with the President of All Nigerian Communities in Ghana sent to the Ghana Police Headquarters to establish what happened.

“The President of All Nigerian Communities in Ghana has been sent to the Ghanian Police Headquarters to understand what truly happened; we are expecting feedback on the development to get further clarity,” he said.

The intervention follows a conflicting account between the Ghana Police Service and GCB Bank over the alleged robbery attempt.

Earlier, GCB Bank denied that an attempted robbery took place at its Labone Branch in Accra, despite the police claim that officers had foiled an alleged robbery attempt targeting three banks in the area.

In a statement issued by its Corporate Affairs department on Friday, GCB Bank said its attention had been drawn to reports regarding an attempted robbery in the Labone area, with references being made to its 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.

The bank further said there was no breach of its premises and that neither its customers nor employees were affected.

“At no point was the branch breached, and no customer, member of staff, funds or property of the Bank was affected,” it said.

The denial is significant because the Ghana Police Service had specifically said the suspected gang was preparing to attack GCB Bank, Ecobank and Zenith Bank, all located in the Labone area.

According to the police, it received intelligence at about 10:45am on Thursday that a gang of robbers was preparing to attack the banks, prompting the immediate deployment of a response team.

The police said officers who arrived in 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, leading to the arrest of Maazi, while another occupant escaped.

The police further alleged that suspects in a second vehicle attempted to flee while firing at officers.

“The robbers in the second vehicle also tried to escape amidst firing,” the statement said.

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 police also said a blow pistol was recovered during the operation.

Maazi remains in police custody and is assisting investigators with inquiries into the alleged planned robbery.

The bodies of the two suspects killed during the shootout have been reportedly deposited at a morgue “for preservation, identification and autopsy,” according to the police.

The conflicting accounts have now raised questions about the precise nature of the incident, particularly whether the suspects were actually targeting the banks as alleged by the police and the circumstances leading to the deaths of the two other suspects.