VIDEOS: Five Injured, Four Arrested in Bonteso Clash with Anti-Galamsey Task Force
Five people have been injured and four others, including an assembly member, arrested following a violent clash between the Anti-Illegal Mining Task Force and residents of Bonteso on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
The confrontation erupted when the task force moved in to seize an excavator they suspected was being used for illegal mining. According to Unit Committee Secretary Samuel Manu, security personnel fired gunshots during the operation, injuring five residents and damaging two electricity transformers serving the community.
“The officers opened fire on unarmed residents. Now some people are in hospital and parts of the community are without power,” Manu alleged.
Some residents are appealing to the Inspector General of Police to intervene and resolve tensions between the community and security forces.
However, Amansie West District Chief Executive, Hon. Prince Manu Morrison, says the incident may have been a misunderstanding. He explained that the excavator was being used to collect sand from an old mining pit for construction work, which officers may have mistaken for illegal mining.
The arrested individuals — Assembly Member Patrick Asare, Akwesi Amponsah, Osei Vasco, and Owusu Alexander — are being held at the Manso Adubia Police Station and are expected to be transferred to Accra for further investigations.
The clash has heightened tensions in Bonteso, with residents expressing fears of further confrontations if the matter is not addressed quickly.
