An Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Kezita Naa Koowa Quarshie, has remanded twelve individuals into police custody for their alleged involvement in illegal mining and water pollution activities on the Tano River in the Western Region.
The accused persons—Evans Atanga Agana alias Oldman, Stephen Tuffour Bempah alias Kofi Adutwum, Samuel Addai, Joseph Antwi alias Kofi Antwi, Elijah Atambila, Kennedy Akwasi Awimbora (a student), Waja Matthew, Naya Sampana, Janet Atanga, Beatrice Amponsah, Aishetu Gariba, and Grace Enyonam Amorkupor—were arrested on April 18, 2025, during a special police operation targeting illegal mining (galamsey) activities on water bodies in the region.
The group faces two charges: undertaking mining operations without a licence, contrary to Section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995; and pollution of water resources, contrary to Section 24 of the Water Resources Commission Act, 1996 (Act 522).
Presenting the brief facts in court, Senior State Attorney Nana Ama A. Prempeh told the court that the accused were arrested by a police task force from the National Headquarters in Accra, assigned by the Inspector General of Police to crack down on illegal mining along the Tano and Subiri rivers near Samreboi.
She stated that during the operation, the police found the suspects actively engaging in illegal mining activities in the Tano River. The stretch of the river they operated on had turned brownish and visibly polluted, indicating environmental harm. While the police managed to apprehend the twelve, several accomplices fled the scene and are currently being pursued.
The court has adjourned the case to May 14, 2025, to allow for further investigations.
