Three individuals have been apprehended and are currently being prosecuted for engaging in illegal hunting activities within the Ankasa Forest Reserve, located in the Elembelle Municipality of the Western Region.
The suspects—Frank Odame, 36, from Assin Manso in the Central Region; Abraham Kwasi Sikapa, 45, from Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region; and George Avi, 48, from Akatsi in the Volta Region—were arrested by a team of five Resource Guards attached to the Dadwen Range Camp under the Ankasa Conservation Area.
The arrest, which forms part of intensified efforts to protect Ghana’s dwindling wildlife population, resulted in the confiscation of three unregistered locally manufactured shotguns, 18 live cartridges, seven flashlights, and several cutlasses believed to have been used during the illegal expedition.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, July 23, the Park Manager, Bona Kyiri, revealed that the suspects were arraigned before the Half Assini Municipal Magistrate Court on July 17, 2025, where they were granted bail.
They are scheduled to reappear before the court on August 21, 2025.
According to Mr. Kyiri, the accused attempted to bribe the wildlife officers with GH¢7,000 in an effort to obstruct the legal process. However, the officers rejected the offer and promptly handed them over to the police, along with the weapons and other items retrieved during the operation.
Mr. Kyiri used the opportunity to urge the public to support ongoing efforts by the Forestry Commission and other conservation bodies to safeguard Ghana’s forest reserves and biodiversity.
He announced that a closed hunting season will be in effect from August 1 to December 1, 2025, during which entry into forest reserves for hunting is strictly prohibited.
He clarified that during the closed season, licensed hunting of grass cutters will be allowed, but only with valid authorization from the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
