22 Illegal Miners, Including 21 Burkinabes Remanded
Twenty-two individuals, including 21 foreign nationals believed to be from Burkina Faso, have been remanded into prison custody by the Bekwai Circuit Court for engaging in illegal mining activities on river bodies at Esaase Bontefufuo in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.
The suspects were arrested in a joint intelligence-led operation conducted by the Amansie West District Security Council (DISEC), the District Police Command, and the Formed Police Unit (FPU) under the command of ASP Solomon Adusei Berko in the early hours of Wednesday, October 22, 2025.
According to ASP Berko, the operation followed credible intelligence indicating that a group of foreign nationals had invaded the Esaase Bontefufuo area and were engaging in galamsey activities that were severely polluting water bodies and degrading the environment.
Upon reaching the site, the security team reportedly found the suspects busily mining with changfa machines along a river. They were subsequently arrested after failing to produce any valid mining licences.
The accused persons — all Burkinabe nationals except one Ghanaian, identified as 32-year-old Issah Amadu — were arraigned before the Bekwai Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Isaac Appiatu, where they were charged with four counts, including conspiracy to commit a crime, undertaking mining operations without a licence, and violating provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act (Act 995) of 2019.
Prosecuting, ASP Lloyd Baidoo, Esq., told the court that Amadu had also been charged with two additional counts under the Human Trafficking Act (Act 694) of 2005 for recruiting and exploiting three of the Burkinabe nationals for illegal mining operations at Esaase.
According to the prosecution, the first accused allegedly deceived and transported the victims to Ghana, where he used them for exploitative mining activities without proper documentation or authorisation.
During interrogations, the foreign nationals claimed they were employed by one Martin, a Ghanaian alleged to be the owner of the mining site. They said Martin paid them the equivalent of 5,000 CFA francs monthly for their work but could not provide details of his whereabouts.
The prosecution revealed that Amadu later appeared at the Manso Nkwanta Police Station to confirm that three of the suspects were his workers but failed to produce a valid mining licence when requested.
The court remanded all 22 accused persons into prison custody to reappear on November 7, 2025, as investigations continue to track down Martin and two other accomplices currently at large.
Authorities say the operation forms part of an intensified crackdown on illegal mining activities within the Amansie West enclave, which has become a hotspot for environmental destruction and river pollution.
