The Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang, has stated that his involvement in the attempted removal of seized excavators in the custody of the Ashanti Regional Forestry Commission was with good intentions.
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, five excavators, seized and held by the commission as exhibits in ongoing anti-illegal mining (galamsey) prosecutions, were reportedly taken by individuals claiming to be acting under “orders from above.”
Following immediate public backlash, the excavators, visibly marked as court exhibits, were returned to the Forestry Commission’s custody.
It later emerged that the attempted removal involved the Kumasi Mayor.
In an interview with JoyNews, and monitored by GhanaWeb, Ofori Agyemang explained that he was unaware the excavators were court exhibits.
He clarified that the purpose of moving them was to use the machines for a planned demolition at Kejetia Market.
“Since the fire incident at Adum, we have used seized excavators for every activity there, returning them afterward. Currently, there is a report stating we must demolish three buildings. Some people have started reconstructing the buildings earmarked for demolition. Last week, we fenced off the area where trees were felled, and we planned to carry out the demolition today. We contacted the Regional Security Coordinator to provide seized excavators at their disposal. We didn’t know the ones we were going to use were kept at the Forestry Commission,” he explained.
He added that he ordered the immediate return of the excavators once the facts were made known to him.
Responding to criticisms from some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) about his role, Ofori maintained that he did not intend to misconduct himself, emphasising his objective was to protect lives.
“I have good intentions to save lives, but my good intentions are being misconstrued, putting my name in a bad light. I know public service comes with such challenges, but please, Mr Ken Ashigbey, I had no intention to misbehave. It was for a good purpose,” he stated.
The government of President John Dramani Mahama, which assumed office on January 7, 2025, has faced pressure to take drastic measures against galamsey, which has significantly impacted Ghana’s water and forest reserves.
Public concerns over the use of excavators in illegal mining have led to demands for stricter regulation of heavy machinery in the small-scale mining sector.
Between 2019 and 2020, under the former Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government, a scandal emerged involving the disappearance of hundreds of excavators seized from illegal galamsey miners during Operation Vanguard, launched in 2017 to curb environmental damage.
Reports suggest 34 to over 300 excavators vanished from storage sites, sparking allegations of corruption against government officials and New Patriotic Party (NPP) members.
GA/AE
