Concerned Small-Scale Miners Appeal to IGP Over Alleged Police Harassment and Extortion in Bekwai
Miners allege extortion, intimidation, and abuse of authority by police officers during operations in Amansie South
- Small-scale miners accuse Bekwai police officers of harassment and extortion.
- Miners claim officers remove vehicle number plates during operations.
- Group appeals to the IGP and other authorities for urgent intervention.
Members of the National Concerned Small Scale Miners Association operating in Manso-Watreso and other communities within the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region have called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to investigate alleged acts of harassment and extortion by police officers from Bekwai under the Ashanti South Regional Police Command.
In a statement, the miners alleged that officers from the command frequently conduct operations at mining sites belonging to their members and, in the process, allegedly demand money without lawful justification. According to the group, these actions have created fear and uncertainty among miners who claim to be operating within the law.
Some miners further alleged that the officers often remove the number plates from vehicles used during these operations, making it difficult to properly identify the officers involved or verify the legitimacy of the operations being carried out.
The association condemned what it described as persistent harassment and appealed to the Minister for the Interior, the Inspector-General of Police, the Ashanti Regional Minister, and the District Security Councils of Amansie West, South, and Central to intervene to prevent any possible escalation.
The miners disclosed that a formal complaint had earlier been submitted to the Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, who reportedly assured them that the matter would be addressed. However, they claim the situation has since deteriorated rather than improved.
While stressing that they are law-abiding citizens, the miners warned that they can no longer tolerate the alleged conduct and would pursue all appropriate legal and institutional channels to ensure their concerns are properly addressed.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to complying with the government’s revised anti-illegal mining directives issued by the President and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, which prohibit mining in forest reserves, along river bodies and roadsides, and ban the involvement of foreigners in illegal mining activities.
