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An Accra Circuit Court has remanded two police officers, Lance Corporal William Atia Asitanga and Lance Corporal Sulemana Zanya Abdul-Rahman, for their alleged roles in the theft of 16 CZ assault rifles from a police armoury, a case that has sparked serious concerns over security lapses within the Ghana Police Service.
Presiding Judge, Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah, heard that the incident occurred in March 2024 at the National Counter Terrorism Department in Accra, where Asitanga, 32, was serving as the department’s armourer.
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He has been charged with stealing the rifles, while Abdul-Rahman, 27, stationed at Asiwa in the Bekwai District of the Ashanti Region, faces a charge of abetting the theft.
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Both pleaded not guilty, as per the Ghana News Agency.
Prosecutor Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye told the court that an internal audit uncovered the missing rifles.
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Asitanga, who was solely responsible for managing the department’s arms and ammunition, could not account for them. Subsequent investigations linked Abdul-Rahman to the alleged theft.
The court has ordered the two to be held in police custody as investigations continue. They are expected to reappear before the court on August 20, 2025.
DSP Nyamekye added that both officers are cooperating with investigators.
The disappearance of the rifles from a sensitive security unit has raised alarms over potential risks to national security and public safety should the weapons fall into the wrong hands.
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The case has also renewed calls for stricter oversight and tighter security measures in armoury management within the country’s security agencies.
The Ghana Police Service has not yet released a public statement on the matter, but the decision to remand the accused officers reflects the seriousness with which the case is being treated.