The Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has denied any involvement in the recent attack on officials of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, the MP stated that he was in South Africa attending Pan-African Parliament meetings at the time of the incident and could not have played any role.
“I received several calls from my constituency that soldiers had invaded the area for an operation. I asked an assemblyman to speak to the leader of the team, but he refused. As I kept receiving calls, I reached out to the Asutifi North MP, who was in the area, to engage the commander,” Mr. Dauda explained.
He added that he later learned the NAIMOS team was attacked on their return but insisted he never instructed anyone to release suspects or incite violence. “I only wanted to speak to the commander. There is no way I would send people to attack them,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to take over investigations into the violent incident.
Preliminary findings link the Asutifi North MP, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, to the attack, alleging he incited a mob to obstruct the NAIMOS team during their operation to arrest illegal miners.
Police reports indicate that NAIMOS officials had arrested several illegal miners near Bronikrom on Saturday, November 1, 2025, seizing firearms, ammunition, and unregistered vehicles. While transporting the suspects to the Hwidiem Police Station, a group allegedly led by the MP intervened, freeing the suspects and chasing the officials away.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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