Source – Citinewsroom

A Tarkwa Circuit Court has remanded 12 suspected illegal miners accused of destroying a section of the Western Railway Corridor at Akyim-Bonsawere in the Western Region.

Presided over by Her Ladyship Ama Hathia Manu, the court ordered that the accused be held in prison custody pending further investigations and trial.

The suspects — identified as Dennis Adom, Alex Kofi Acquah, Kwame Simon, Isaac Arhin, Larri Koku, Lambon Moyisi, Ali Asoma, Nurudeen Kobina, Jude Azumah, Yendari Mombe, Jonathan Ayamdore, and Daniel Combat — were arrested on September 30, 2025, in an operation led by ASP De-Ben Eden Selassi, Operations Commander of the Western Central Regional Police Command.

They have been charged with three counts: engaging in illegal mining, conspiracy to commit a crime (to wit, illegal mining), and causing damage to public property.

The case has been adjourned to October 22, 2025.

The damage caused to the Akyim-Bonsawere stretch has disrupted potential rail haulage operations, as the Ghana Railway Company says manganese transport from Nsuta to the Takoradi Harbour cannot resume until the destroyed section is fully repaired.

Police investigate robbery and murder at Abesim filling station

The Bono Regional Police Command has launched an investigation into a robbery and murder incident that occurred at Frimps Filling Station in Abesim, within the Sunyani East Municipality.

The incident happened on October 6, 2025, and resulted in the death of a security guard, identified as Akwasi Addai, believed to be in his late sixties.

According to a police statement signed by Chief Inspector Thomas Akeelah, the deceased was found dead on the porch of a nearby shop with visible head injuries.

Preliminary investigations indicate that unknown assailants broke into the filling station and stole money from an office used for electricity and mobile money transactions. They also ransacked the manager’s office and attempted to break into a safe.

A crime scene management team recovered a blood-stained axe and a club from the scene. The body of the deceased has been sent to the Sunyani Teaching Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

The Bono Regional Police Command has assured the public that efforts are underway to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.