The Concerned Media for Change has levelled grave accusations against Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame and the Ghana Police Service, decrying their alleged involvement in the unlawful arrest and detention of Ghanaians protesting against illegal mining activities (galamsey).
The statement, penned by Nana Otu Darko, a broadcast journalist and convener of the group, raised serious concerns about the misuse of state power to suppress dissent and shield influential figures allegedly tied to the destructive galamsey industry.
“Dear Attorney General, you, via the wings of the Ghana Police Service hurriedly arrested and remanded patriotic protestors fighting against galamsey.
“An environmental cancer threatening the very existence of even the unborn generation and yet you sheepishly look on unconcerned at the jubilee house, the greatest kingpins of galamsey according to the Frimpong Boateng report. You arrest innocent citizens whilst the real owners of excavators are left to chance”.
Nana Otu Darko, Convener, Concerned Media for Change and Broadcast journalist
According to the statement, the police’s aggressive response to the protestors is a glaring contradiction.
It pointed out that the people being arrested are not hardened criminals or perpetrators of galamsey, but patriotic citizens sounding the alarm over the destruction of Ghana’s forests and water sources.
The statement by Nana Otu Darko lamented the fact that while excavators used in illegal mining are disappearing, powerful individuals behind these operations remain untouched.
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He posited that instead, ordinary citizens, including pregnant women and minors, are being unlawfully detained for their activism.
Denial of Basic Rights: A New Low for the Police and Attorney General
The Concerned Media for Change contended that those arrested, many of whom are reportedly minors, pregnant women, and sick individuals, have been denied their inalienable constitutional rights, including access to legal counsel and bail.
The statement noted that despite guarantees in Ghana’s Constitution, which upholds every individual’s right to legal representation and a fair hearing, the police reportedly blocked access to lawyers for the detained protestors.
Nana Otu Darko’s statement sharply critiqued the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, pointing to his questionable priorities.
He accused him of expending more energy on persecuting the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson in the ambulance procurement scandal, than protecting the nation’s vital environmental resources.
The role of the Ghana Police Service in this unfolding drama was also critiicised. Long regarded as the institution tasked with upholding the rule of law, the police now stand accused of unlawfully detaining innocent protestors while bending to the whims of political elites.
“Since when did the Ghana Police Service become this insensitive and unlawful? As for the Attorney General, the least said about you the better”.
Nana Otu Darko, Convener, Concerned Media for Change and Broadcast journalist
Power is Transient: A Warning to the Attorney General
In his closing remarks, Nana Otu Darko delivered a sharp warning to the Attorney General and the police, invoking a universal truth: power is fleeting.
“Remember, power is transient,” he wrote, cautioning that those who abuse their authority today will eventually be held accountable.
He emphasized that vindication lies in the future, a powerful reminder to those in positions of power that their actions will not go unchallenged forever.
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Yet amid this impassioned condemnation, the statement extended a message of solidarity and hope to the detained protestors.
Referring to them as “unsung heroes and heroines,” Nana Otu Darko assured them that their sacrifices were not in vain and that the people of Ghana were proud of their efforts.
He called for continued resistance, urging that “Let us keep fighting until there is nobody to arrest by the police. Nothing should stop us or cow us into submission. United we can. Aluta continua”.
The Concerned Media for Change’s statement underscored the urgent need for justice and transparency in Ghana’s handling of both the galamsey crisis and the rights of its citizens.
It admonished the government to make a clear commitment to protecting the environment by prosecuting the true masterminds behind galamsey and halting the unlawful arrests of peaceful protestors.
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