The Bono Regional Police Command has arrested eight suspects over the alleged assault of a 21-year-old man during what investigators describe as his initiation into internet fraud – ‘sakawa’ – at Kotokrom in the Sunyani West Municipality.
The victim, identified as Godstime Umukoro, was found with multiple marks of assault on his body after a police patrol team responded to a distress call at about 4.30 p.m. on October 4, 2026.
According to a police press release dated October 9, 2026, the patrol team received information that a group of people were attacking a person at Kotokrom. The officers proceeded to the scene and arrested the eight suspects.
The police said the suspects told investigators they had subjected Umukoro to a severe beating as part of his initiation into the internet fraud business, commonly referred to as “sakawa” in Ghana. They allegedly added that they had undergone a similar process themselves.
The police said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects had been brought to Ghana by one Nwachukwu King Augustine, identified as their chairman.
The suspects allegedly used downloaded images of foreign military personnel to lure victims into online conversations. They posed as soldiers deployed to the war front in Yemen and allegedly collected money from their victims.
The money was then paid into an account belonging to their leader, whom the police referred to as the “Boss” in the police statement.
The Bono Regional Police Command commended members of the public for their swift intervention and urged them to continue cooperating with the police in the fight against crime.
