The Ashanti South Police Command has affirmed its commitment to prosecute four suspects arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities within the Krobo Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region, despite alleged attempts by the Jacobu-Odotobri NDC Chairman in the Amansie Central District to secure their release.
The suspects were apprehended on Monday, May 11, 2026, during a joint anti-galamsey operation conducted by the police and Logeist Group Company Limited in the protected forest area.
According to the police, the suspects were caught actively mining within the reserve and operating dangerously close to the Oda River, a development authorities say poses a serious threat to the environment and nearby water bodies.
Security officials disclosed that two excavators used in the illegal mining operation were seized, while several other pieces of equipment and items found at the site were destroyed during the exercise.
“We found four excavators actively engaged in illegal mining within the forest reserve and operating very close to the Oda River. The Jacobu-Odotobri NDC Chairman later arrived in the vehicle of one of the illegal miners and claimed he had permitted them to enter the forest,” officials stated.
The police further alleged that the chairman pleaded with officers to release the suspects, insisting that the individuals involved were his associates.
However, the command maintained that the suspects would face prosecution despite the alleged intervention.
Operations Manager of Logeist Group Company Limited, Seth Kofi Adjei, who addressed the media after the operation, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting anti-galamsey efforts aimed at protecting the country’s natural resources.
