News:
November 13, 2025
The Member of Parliament for Tano North Dr Gideon Boako has condemned the recent mass arrest of some residents of Ahafo Region and their subsequent repatriation to Kumasi in connection with the reprehensible attack on officials of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to him he condemns any violence or attack on state officials performing their lawful
Duties, but the response by the security agencies must be measured, lawful, and respect the fundamental human rights of the citizens they represent.
In a statement he noted that principle of natural justice dictates that persons must be treated as innocent until proven guilty.
The operation that led to a mass arrest without discernible, proper investigation is unacceptable and risks punishing the innocent alongside the culpable, thereby undermining public trust and creating unnecessary fear and tension within the community.
“I demand that the security agencies immediately halt the blanket arrest, and individual arrested must be subjected to a thorough, transparent, and prompt investigation to
establish their individual culpability.
The focus should be on diligently identifying and prosecuting the true perpetrators of the attack, not on subjecting the entire community to collective punishment.
Furthermore, I am deeply troubled by the decision to repatriate the arrested individuals from Hwidiem, in the Ahafo Region, to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region for detention. This action places undue hardship on the arrested citizens and their families, making access to legal representation and basic family support unnecessarily difficult. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done locally.
All legal and procedural requirements regarding the place of detention must be strictly adhered to and urge the security services to return the arrested persons to a police facility within the Ahafo Region to ensure fair treatment and easy access to their rights.
“I appeal to the people of Hwidiem to remain calm and cooperate fully with any lawful and properly conducted investigation. Violence is never the answer, and attacks on security and state officials compromise our collective well-being and the ongoing fight against illegal mining”.
However, I equally call on the security services and the government to exercise restraint and ensure that the pursuit of justice does not become an act of injustice against law-abiding citizens.
Ghanampa.com