A shocking scandal has erupted in the fight against galamsey as two Chinese miners set free.
On March 21, the youth of Akoase in the Birim District of the Eastern Region apprehended two Chinese galamseyers and three Ghanaian counterparts, seizing an undisclosed amount of black gold.
The suspects were then handed over to the police at the Akoase police station.
Erastus Asare Donkor, an investigative journalist, who blew the cover, reported that “the police in Akoase freed the two Chinese nationals arrested for engaging in illegal mining.”
The journalists investigation further revealed that “the youth of Akoase had arrested the two Chinese miners, along with three Ghanaians, and seized a quantity of gold.”
He noted that “the suspects were then handed over to the police at the Akoase police station, where a CID officer named Owusu was supposed to transfer them to the Nkawkaw District police for further investigations.”
Reacting to the development, the Nkawkaw District Police Commander Victor Kwakye explained that “the youth conducted a citizen’s arrest on March 21.”
He added that “only three Ghanaian suspects—identified as Freeman Kwafo, 42, Augustine Adoma, 45, and Bawa Mohammed, 25—were transferred from Akoase to the Nkawkaw District Command.”
The Police Chief revealed that the suspects had been manhandled by the youth before being handed over to the police.
“Upon arrival at the Nkawkaw District Command, they were released to seek medical attention and instructed to report accordingly,” he stated.
He clarified that his unit never received the Chinese suspects, contradicting earlier reports that they were in police custody.
This revelation has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the police’s commitment to fighting galamsey.
The whereabouts of the Chinese miners and the seized black gold remain unclear, fueling public demands for answers from Owusu.
