Asaase News’s Upper East Correspondent Senyalah Castro, reports that a fifth person also sustained gunshot wounds on the right arm and buttocks in the Friday (15 April) night attack.

The victims in critical condition have been admitted to the War Memorial Hospital for treatment whereas the bodies of the deceased have been sent to the hospital’s morgue for preservation.

Detailing the attack to Asaase News, one of the drivers, Kofi Nti, said the vehicles were blocked around 7 pm while going to buy the commodity, almost one and a half mile to Tambolo, the next major settlement after Dakola, and attacked.

He said the gunmen, seven in number, opened fire sporadically to force their vehicles to stop.

Nti said the shooting led to the killing of one person on the spot. A second person who sustained severe gunshot wounds and was bleeding profusely also died on arrival at the hospital.

“The robbers attacked us near a certain town after Dakola. They stopped the first of five vehicles and started demanding money. The women gave them all the money in their bags but they were not satisfied. They pulled out all the women from the vehicles and started beating them.”

Nana Yaa, one of the traders, in her account to Asaase News said the robbers took all their money and subjected them to severe beatings.

She said one of the robbers shot through the windscreen of their vehicle and killed the first deceased person on the spot.

Nana Yaa said the traders lost a total amount of over CFA 4,070,680 to the robbers who bolted afterwards on their motorbikes.

“We were about five vehicles going together. When we got mid-journey, the vehicle in front was stopped. Our driver also stopped. The robbers started pulling people out from the first vehicle and that was when we realized that they were robbers.”

“They came with canes and asked us to surrender our money. They beat us mercilessly and we gave out all our money but they demanded more and we gave them everything. But all this time, one of my sisters (trader) was sitting behind the driver.

“She also gave out all her money. But one of the robbers who was going to the other side fired a gun and it hit and killed her. I went back into the vehicle and realised she had been killed.”