Police rescue kidnapping victim in Yendi, arrest three suspects

Police in the Northern Region have rescued a kidnapping victim and arrested three suspects following a targeted intelligence-led operation in Wapuli, in the Yendi District.

The Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Wisdom Lavoe, confirmed the operation in an internal situation report, explaining that officers acted swiftly after the case was reported to the Tamale Regional Police Intelligence Directorate on 2 December 2025. According to the report, the kidnappers had demanded GH¢100,000 from the victim’s family.

DCOP Lavoe deployed a five-member intelligence team to Wapuli to monitor the suspects, rescue the victim and arrest those involved. The team successfully freed the victim on 5 December.

Police say the officers later engaged the suspects in a firefight at about 2:30 a.m. on 6 December after trailing them to a hideout. The armed group, believed to be four men, fled the scene and abandoned a motorbike with registration M-25-NR and a Samsung phone, which were retrieved for investigations.

The intelligence team tracked the fleeing suspects to Bokpaba, along the Bimbilla–Yendi stretch, later that morning. Three men — Haruna Seidu, 31; Amidu Bande, 30; and Osman Bande, 40 — were arrested and detained at the Yendi Police Station. They are expected to be transferred to the Regional Headquarters in Tamale on 7 December.

Police also recovered two additional motorbikes — one registered M-25-GB 1026 and an unregistered one — as well as GH¢70,000 believed to be part of the ransom the family paid before the victim’s release.

One suspect remains on the run and is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the earlier exchange. Police describe him as “armed and dangerous” and have intensified efforts to track him down.

The Northern Regional Police Command says further updates will be provided as investigations continue, and urged the public to volunteer information that may assist in the arrest of the remaining suspect.

Source: adomonline.com