Shrine owner arrested after armed gang attacks miners in Western North Region
20th November 2025
Police have arrested Victor Biney, alias “Abeiku,” the owner of a shrine at Attakrom in the Juaboso District, following a violent attack on miners near Antobia in the Western North Region.
The arrest comes after a group of seven masked men, armed with pump-action and single-barrel guns, stormed a mining site around 2 a.m. last Monday. The robbers assaulted the miners with machetes and made away with gold concentrate and mobile phones.
A police operation, aided by a private cyber specialist, tracked one of the stolen phones to Biney’s shrine. Although the suspect was not at the location during the raid, officers conducted a search in the presence of witnesses.
Items retrieved from the shrine included:
- A military camouflage shirt
- A pair of handcuffs
- Two machetes
- A single-barrel gun
- Forehead flashlights
- 17 live AAA cartridges
- Five smocks, one decorated with talismans
- A basin containing particles of gold concentrate and mercury
- The butt of a pump-action gun
Police later encountered and arrested Biney while returning from the operation. He admitted to owning the weapons, cartridges, smocks, camouflage shirt, and other seized items.
Biney, who is already facing charges in multiple robbery and murder cases before the Bibiani Circuit Court, was arraigned before the Juaboso District Court. He has been remanded into police custody and is expected to reappear on December 8, 2025.
Victims have since identified several of the items found at the shrine as those used during the robbery. Police say efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining members of the gang.