An Accra Circuit Court has adjourned to October 6, 2026, the case in which Augustine Okechukwu Maazi is standing trial over the attempted robbery of the GCB Bank branch at Labone.

The adjournment followed Maazi’s appearance before a relieving judge while the substantive judge is on leave.

The prosecution informed the court that it was in the process of filing its disclosures and prayed for an adjournment.

At the previous sitting, the substantive judge directed the prosecution to file its disclosures to enable the court to conduct a case management conference before the trial begins.

Maazi has consequently been remanded into lawful custody.

The accused, an unemployed Nigerian national, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts, including conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery and robbery.

Police investigations indicate that Maazi and five accomplices allegedly carried out a series of robberies between May and August 13, 2026, at Tema, Spintex and Labone.

The prosecution further alleges that the group was involved in similar criminal activities in Côte d’Ivoire and Togo.

Two of Maazi’s alleged accomplices were killed during a gun battle with police on August 13, 2026, following an attempted robbery operation near the Labone GCB Bank branch.

The prosecution said Maazi had no fixed place of abode and resides in a hotel.

According to the facts presented before the court, the complainants were Emmanuel Kweku Archer, a businessman, and the Ghana Police Service.

The prosecution said the Office of the Special Operations Assistant to the Inspector-General of Police (SOA) had received numerous complaints about customers of various banks in the Greater Accra Region being targeted by suspected armed robbery syndicates.

As a result, a surveillance team was deployed to monitor the activities of the suspects around banks in Greater Accra and the Tema Metropolis.

On June 9 and June 11, 2026, the office reportedly received information that members of the syndicate had operated around Zenith Bank and Fidelity Bank at Spintex. CCTV footage allegedly captured the suspects using a Toyota Highlander and a Hyundai Tucson.

Investigators established that the suspects typically monitored bank customers, used master keys to open victims’ vehicles and, in some cases, forcibly broke into the vehicles.

Police intelligence further indicated that the alleged gang leaders, identified as Harrison Chinedu and Dan, were usually armed with pistols.

The prosecution said the group robbed a woman at gunpoint on May 17, 2026, at Agbamaame in Tema Community Two, making away with GH¢50,000 shortly after she had withdrawn the money from the Tema branch of Republic Bank.

On June 11, 2026, the same group allegedly attacked a young man at gunpoint after he had withdrawn an unspecified amount of money from the Republic Bank branch at Achimota and was returning home.

Investigations further suggested that the syndicate usually carried out its operations during banking hours within Accra and Tema.

On August 13, 2026, at about 1045 hours, the Special Operations surveillance team received intelligence that the suspects had been spotted near the Ecobank branch at Spintex and were heading towards Labone and Cantonments.

The team tracked the suspects, who were travelling in a black Hyundai Tucson with registration number GS 7915-19 and an ash-coloured Toyota Highlander with registration number GS 1434-18.

According to the prosecution, Maazi, who was in the Toyota Highlander, positioned himself between Zenith Bank and GCB Bank at Labone to monitor activities around both banks, while his accomplices in the Hyundai Tucson stationed themselves near the Ecobank branch at Labone.

Police officers intercepted the Hyundai Tucson at Fidelity Bank, Labone, and arrested the driver. However, the other occupants managed to escape.

Sensing danger, the occupants of the Toyota Highlander allegedly sped off while exchanging gunfire with police.

The prosecution said police pursued the vehicle from Zenith Bank through several locations, including the Metro TV area, Morning Star, the Togo Embassy, the Ghana Immigration Service and the vicinity of the American Embassy.

During the exchange of fire, two of the suspects sustained gunshot wounds and lost control of the vehicle after damaging several vehicles, including two unmarked police vehicles.

The injured suspects were rushed to the Police Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival.

A search conducted on the Toyota Highlander allegedly led to the retrieval of two vehicle registration plates, GR 3040-22 and GS 3588-23, as well as a Blow F90 pistol.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly imported vehicles from Nigeria and replaced the foreign registration plates with Ghanaian registration numbers to facilitate their criminal activities.

Further investigations suggested that the group also operated in neighbouring countries, particularly Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.

Police said efforts were ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.