Soldier, six others remanded over armed robbery of fuel tanker

A serving military officer and six other men have been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for their alleged roles in the armed robbery of a fuel tanker and its contents.

Corporal Bernard Bortey, a soldier stationed at the Teaching and Doctrine College of the Ghana Armed Forces, was arrested alongside six alleged accomplices after the dramatic heist, which took place on August 6, 2025. Two other suspects remain at large.

Prosecutors say the complainant, tanker driver Jerry Kwaw, was transporting fuel from Tema to Kumasi when Bortey and his team intercepted him at Pampaso Number One. Armed and in military uniform, Bortey reportedly forced the driver and his mate out of the tanker, handcuffed them, and bundled them into a pickup truck.

The stolen tanker was driven to a fuel station at Bunso Junction, where it was allegedly being siphoned into another tanker when police moved in. The arrest came after officers at an Ablekuma checkpoint rescued the victims from the pickup truck.

Investigations revealed the group had split into two teams — one tracking the tanker from Tema, and the other, led by Bortey, executing the armed interception. Both tankers involved have been impounded.

All seven accused, who face charges including robbery and abetment, have pleaded not guilty. The case has been adjourned to August 25, 2025, while police continue to hunt for the remaining suspects.