GHANA – Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison has indicated that the Air Marshall of the Ghana Air Force will be supporting the central bank with helicopters to aid it transport monies to banks across the country.
The decision by Ghana’s Central Bank follows the rampant robbery attacks on bullion vans transporting money across the country which has resulted in the loss of lives and property.
Most recently, there was an attack at Kumasi in the Ashanti region involving a bullion van which was transporting cash.
The attack resulted in injury and a loss of life of a bank representative with the armed robbers making away with large sums of money and loaded police assault rifles.
The attack was a succession of a previous attack staged in May where armed robbers intercepted a bullion van belonging to the Absa Bank, taking away over GH¢600,000.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Accra Governor of the central bank, Dr Ernest Addison, said that the Bank of Ghana was moving in swiftly to prevent further attacks on its cash on transit.
Dr. Addison noted that Ghana Money on Transit had been attacked for the third time in the recent past, posing a greater risk to the lives of people involved in the activity.
He said that all the attacks were aimed at Nissan pickup trucks that have been converted into bullion vans.
He however noted that the Bank of Ghana has taken seriously.
According to the Bank of Ghana Governor, the institution’s Security Unit met with the banks to decide on the way forward.
He noted that Bank of Ghana has quite a good fleet of bullion vans and was engaging commercial banks to see how we collaborate with the banks so that we will have a more secure way of transporting money around the country.
Dr. Addison further noted that he had met with the Air Vice Marshall and he had offered to assist the bank with lifting of currency around the country using some of the aircraft that they have.
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