A violent clash between illegal miners and the Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force occurred on Tuesday, August 13, 2025 at Bonteso in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region. The confrontation began after the task force intercepted an Excavator engaged in illegal mining and attempted to remove it.
The operation was resisted by a group of illegal miners, allegedly led by the local Assembly Member, Patrick Asare. The miners hurled stones, fired pump-action shotguns and blocked exit routes, trapping officers and leaving two policemen ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil and G/Sgt. Agblekpe Mawuena Yao injured. Four arrests, including that of the Assembly Member, were made.
The violent incident followed the circulation of a video in which a young man urged galamseyers to attack police and military officers, even calling for the use of firearms against them. Broadcast journalist Captain Smart played this video on air, forcing the young man to later apologise.
However, just yesterday, another video emerged of a galamseyer vowing never to stop illegal mining, threatening robbery at the Manso Nkwanta District Assembly.
The events that unfolded in Bonteso on August 13, 2025 should leave every law-abiding Ghanaian outraged. What began as a legitimate state operation to clamp down on illegal mining, a menace destroying our environment and endangering livelihoods, quickly degenerated into a violent confrontation instigated by those whose only interest is to profit from lawlessness.
The sight of an elected Assembly Member, Patrick Asare, allegedly mobilising illegal miners to resist law enforcement agencies is a shameful betrayal of public trust. Elected leaders are meant to uphold the law, protect communities and safeguard the environment but not incite lawlessness and violence against the very institutions tasked with maintaining order. Leaders who embolden criminality do not deserve to hold public office, let alone enjoy the respect of their communities.
Equally disturbing is the circulation of dangerous videos which could possibly have incited the violence against state security agencies. One such video, in which a young man brazenly called on illegal miners to attack and shoot at police and military officers laid the groundwork for this week’s bloody confrontation. His subsequent apology does not erase the damage. Apologies cannot undo blood spilled, nor can they restore injured officers to full health. He must be made to answer to the law.
What is worse, we are now faced with yet another reckless video of a galamseyer openly threatening to engage in armed robbery at the Manso Nkwanta District Assembly, even boasting of knowing the times when funds are received there. This is not only criminal but treasonous, for it undermines the very foundations of law and order in our society. Such impunity cannot and must not be tolerated.
If the first young man who released his inciteful video had been swiftly arrested and prosecuted, we might not be witnessing this emboldened second act of criminal bravado. The delay in enforcement only emboldens others to follow suit. This is precisely why the law must not be seen as optional or negotiable. The state must act decisively, arresting and prosecuting both individuals to serve as a deterrent. Anything short of that would be a dangerous message that incitement to violence and open threats against the state can go unpunished.
Illegal mining is not a harmless livelihood activity, as some would like to frame it. It is a criminal enterprise that destroys forests, pollutes rivers and leaves behind ghost towns and broken communities. Worse still, it now appears to be breeding a culture of violence and militancy, with miners arming themselves and daring to confront state security agencies. This is a dangerous development that threatens national stability.
The people of Ghana cannot, and should not, accept this. The police officers who sustained injuries in the line of duty deserve justice. Our environment, which continues to suffer irreparable damage at the hands of galamseyers deserves protection.
Our laws, which are the bedrock of order and development, deserve respect. We, therefore, call on the state to treat this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. If we fail to act now, we risk entrenching a culture of lawlessness that will haunt generations to come.
