Guns, Gold & Mayhem… MP Linked to Galamsey Rampage

High-stakes anti-illegal mining operation spiraled into chaos over the weekend, leaving the Ghana Police Service scrambling to restore order and launching a full-scale investigation into the alleged role of Asutifi North MP, Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, in a violent mob attack that rocked the town of Hwidiem.

The Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has ordered the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to take over the probe, following disturbing reports that the MP may have incited a crowd to confront and overpower operatives of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).

The incident unfolded on Saturday, November 1, when NAIMOS Director of Operations and his team intercepted illegal miners near Bronikrom. The bust yielded a cache of items including a Smith & Wesson pistol, ammunition, unregistered luxury vehicles, and mobile phones.

Eyewitnesses say the MP stormed the scene with a group of men, demanding the immediate release of the suspects. When the officers refused, the group allegedly forced open handcuffs and chased the NAIMOS team off the site.

Within hours, a mob of nearly 600 descended on the Hwidiem Police Station, demanding the release of the suspects and seized vehicles. The crowd, reportedly egged on by the MP, vandalized the NAIMOS Director’s vehicle and threatened to torch the station.

Swift intervention by regional police and military forces, aided by the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, helped defuse the situation. Though the Chief’s vehicle was damaged in the melee, no injuries were reported.

The MP has since been invited by the CID to assist with investigations. But in a statement issued on November 3, Hon. Addo denied inciting violence, calling the incident “an unfortunate misunderstanding.”

According to his account, he was en route to a funeral when he received word of unrest at a mining site. Acting on a request from Asutifi South MP Collins Dauda, who was abroad, Addo said he visited the scene to mediate and urged calm.

> “I advised that we move to the police station to officially make a statement and hand over any suspects to the police to calm tensions,” Addo said.

He claimed to have worked with security officials and the Zongo Chief to restore order, insisting his actions were aimed at preventing escalation.

The IGP has vowed a thorough and impartial investigation, promising that anyone found culpable will face the full rigours of the law.

As the dust settles in Hwidiem, questions swirl around the MP’s conduct, the fragility of law enforcement in mining zones, and the growing tension between political actors and anti-galamsey operatives.

This is not just a local flare-up it’s a test of Ghana’s resolve to confront illegal mining and political interference head-on.