'We are innocent' - Dadwene residents demand justice amid police investigation

Correspondence from Ashanti Region

A wave of outrage has swept through the Dadwene, Nhyiaeso, and Anwona communities, as more than 240 men, arrested in a large-scale police operation, have vehemently declared their innocence in the alleged attack on officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The residents are demanding a full and fair investigation and have pledged their unwavering cooperation with police until justice is served and the real perpetrators are arrested.

The arrests followed a midnight operation conducted between 12:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., during which residents were picked up from their homes while asleep. The men were accused of ambushing EPA officials and journalists during a previous anti-galamsey operation.

Despite insisting they had no knowledge of or involvement in the incident, they were transported to Kumasi and remanded for nearly two weeks before eventually being granted bail.

The accused were divided into two groups, with 120 appearing before the Tafo Circuit Court on Thursday. Their hopes of an early resolution were dashed when His Lordship Justice Festus Nukunu adjourned the case to February 12, 2026.

“Our lives are in ruins,” the distraught men told journalists after the adjournment. “Our reputations have been destroyed, and our health has suffered because of the unjust detention,” they lamented.

One teacher, who is expected to supervise examinations, said he was arrested at 4:00 a.m. without being informed of the reason.

“I was arrested at 4:00 a.m. No one told me why. Why are we suffering like this in our own country?” he asked.

A commercial driver and family breadwinner also expressed despair.

“I know nothing about this so-called galamsey. If I don’t work, my family goes hungry. Our time is being wasted and our lives put on hold,” he said.

Another accused person from Obuasi Nhyiaeso, who gave his name as Daniel, said he remains bewildered by the arrests and repeated court appearances despite their firm belief in their innocence.

“What crime have we committed?” he asked. “Look at my hands and my body—I now have health complications. Our health has deteriorated because of how we were arrested and detained. I am the breadwinner for my father and the rest of my family, yet we are forced to pay transport fares repeatedly to appear before the Tafo court. What kind of crime warrants such treatment?”

He further lamented what he described as the politicisation of the arrests.

“Our only sin, it seems, is that we helped bring this government to power,” he claimed. “Why must everything be politicised? Even the arrest of innocent people? This is why many young people feel they cannot succeed without politics. Is this how a nation should be built?”

Despite the personal toll and repeated court appearances, the accused say their resolve remains unbroken.

“We are not begging anyone to stop the investigation,” said Michael Kwabena Fosu, popularly known as MK, spokesperson and lead advocate for the accused. “We want the police to move swiftly with whatever evidence they claim to have.”

“Our three towns have been unfairly smeared,” he added. “We know these 247 men are innocent. We demand a thorough investigation until our names are cleared, our reputations restored, and the real offenders arrested. The truth will set us free.”