General Corporal Frank Essel, a driver with the SWAT Unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service, was brutally gunned down on May 19, 2016, during an armed robbery at the Open Space Hotel in Denchemuoso, near Kumasi.
The cold-blooded murder shocked the nation and set off an eight-year manhunt that culminated in the arrest of the prime suspect, Michael Owusu Ansah, alias “Baby Last,” on April 2, 2025.
The night of the murder
The events of May 19, 2016, unfolded around 9 PM when a gang of masked armed robbers stormed the Open Space Hotel.
According to police reports, the robbers demanded that two receptionists lead them to guest rooms to rob patrons. When the receptionists hesitated, the assailants shot one of them, prompting the other to flee.
In the chaos, Corporal Essel, who was seated in his Benz vehicle on the hotel premises, was fatally shot behind the wheel.
His police uniform, hanging in the front seat, was visible, though it remains unclear whether he was deliberately targeted or caught in the crossfire.
A police search later found his bullet-riddled body, leading to public and institutional outrage and grief across the Ashanti Region.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command, under intense pressure, vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Early breakthroughs of female mastermind arrest
In the immediate aftermath, the police launched a vigorous investigation.
On June 6, 2016, the police arrested one Abena Serwaa, a 28-year-old woman alleged to be the mastermind behind the robbery.
Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander, ACP Ampofo Duku, revealed that Serwaa had hired two other suspects to execute the heist.
Items recovered from her included GH¢1,487, suspected marijuana, and medical supplies.
However, the two hired accomplices, including the suspected triggerman, Michael Owusu Ansah, alias “Baby Last,” evaded capture, plunging the investigation into a prolonged stalemate.
Ansah’s ability to remain at large for nearly a decade frustrated law enforcement and the public.
Reports indicate he continued his criminal activities, allegedly orchestrating robberies at Denchemuoso, Atwima-Techiman, Asuoyeboah, and surrounding areas.
The case remained a priority for the Ashanti Regional Police, with DSP Godwin Ahianyo, the Public Relations Officer, noting that Ansah had been on the wanted list since 2016, during the tenure of Commissioner (Rtd) Kofi Boakye.
A breakthrough after 8-long-years
The tide turned on April 2, 2025, when the Police Intelligence Directorate, acting on a tip-off, apprehended Ansah, now 32, along with four accomplices: Emmanuel Owusu (alias Cassidy, 30), Maxwell Gyimah (alias Nana Kwame, 31), Sudais Oxford Ntiamoah (alias The Man Sudais), and Rhano Okyere (alias Demon).
A sixth suspect, identified only as Abedi, remains at large. The arrests, announced by the Ashanti Regional Police Command, marked a significant victory in one of the region’s longest-running criminal investigations.
Ansah, according to the police, confessed to his involvement in the 2016 robbery and murder, as well as other crimes across Kumasi.
Police recovered GH¢66,950, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales, along with other exhibits.
On May 13, 2025, the five suspects were arraigned before the Atasomanso Circuit Court and remanded in custody, with their next court appearance scheduled for June 4, 2025.
GA/AE
