Ex-soldier alleges dismissal from GAF after galamsey arrest

Former Ghanaian soldier Daniel Asiedu has alleged that he was dismissed from the Ghana Armed Forces after engaging in an operation that led to the arrest of suspected Chinese illegal mining (galamsey) operators, and is now crying for justice.

In an interview with GH Woode aired on June 12, 2026, Daniel Asiedu said that in 2023 he was part of a group of soldiers who were attending a funeral in Kumasi.

According to him, while they were on their way through Obuasi, they noticed some armed Chinese nationals engaged in galamsey, a practice former President Nana Akufo-Addo had publicly warned against and said should be stopped at the time.

According to him, upon seeing the illegal activity, the soldiers arrested the foreigners, who were over eleven in number and were allegedly in possession of weapons, including pump-action guns. He said they subsequently handed them over to EOCO in Kumasi.

Daniel recounted that about a week after returning from Kumasi, he was summoned to report to the Military Police, which he complied with.

He said that upon arrival, he found that his colleague soldiers who had taken part in the arrest of the Chinese nationals were already being held in a guardroom, after which he was made to write his statement.

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The ex-soldier said he was then interrogated and questioned over allegations that he had taken money from the Chinese nationals. He denied the claims, insisting that if he had taken any money, the arrest and handover of the suspects to authorities would not have happened.

After the interrogation and statement-taking process, he was also placed in the guardroom with his fellow soldiers, where he said they were kept for about two weeks.

“They took me to the guardroom after I wrote my statement so I could join my fellow soldiers. We all spent about two weeks there. I was also suffering from an ulcer, so I requested permission and was taken to the 37 Military Hospital, where I stayed for another two weeks,” he narrated.

He further explained that upon returning from the 37 Military Hospital, he was informed that his colleagues had been released and he was instructed to report back to his unit, the One Signal Regiment at Burma Camp.

According to him, he was again kept in the guardroom for two weeks, followed by a three-month suspension without trial.

Daniel Asiedu further noted that after the three-month period, he was eventually dismissed from the Ghana Armed Forces, while the other soldiers involved in the same operation remain in the service.

“After I was released from the guardroom, they informed me that I had been dismissed from service and handed me documents to sign. After signing, I was told to leave immediately. The pressure they put on me felt as though I had killed someone. Meanwhile, the other soldiers I went on the operation with are still in service,” he added.

Daniel believes his dismissal was linked to political considerations, alleging that he was tagged as being associated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and that the operation may have embarrassed the government at the time under the New Patriotic Party.

He further claimed he was never formally charged or taken before any court, describing the process as a straight dismissal without trial.

Watch the full interview below:



AK/AM