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Student, 20, dies in galamsey pit
The dusty mining town of Manso Akwasiso in the Amansie South District of Ashanti is heavy with grief.
On Tuesday, February 17, the life of a 20-year-old, Evans Allotey—a student, son, and miner—was cut short in a way that has left his community shaken and angry.
Evans, a second-year student at Okomfo Anokye Senior High School, had joined friends at a small-scale mining site when soldiers stormed the area.
Witnesses say the military arrived in three pickups, firing live rounds to disperse miners. In the chaos, Evans fled. His escape ended in tragedy when he stumbled into a deep galamsey pit.
“He could have been saved,” one miner recalled bitterly. “We tried to reach him, but the soldiers fired warning shots to keep us away. We watched him die.”
For residents, the pain is not only in the loss of a promising young man but in the manner of his death.
The Assembly Member of the area, Nsiah Kesse, condemned the soldiers’ actions, calling them “unacceptable” and accused them of overseeing Evans’s death. He further alleged that the military in the area has been deployed for land reclamation at nearby Manso Nyankomase.
The outrage spilled onto the streets as aggrieved residents staged a demonstration on last Wednesday (February 18) to register their displeasure.
Joining them was Nana Kwakye Gyimah Yeboah II, Chief of Akwasiso, who appealed directly to the government, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Minister for the Interior to intervene to end the harassment, restore calm, and deliver justice.
“This is not just about Evans,” the Chief said. “It is about the fear that grips our people every time soldiers arrive. It is about dignity, about the right to live without intimidation,” he lamented.
The death of Evans Allotey, the Chief noted, “is not just one family’s pain. It has become a reminder of the uneasy relationship between local communities and the soldiers sent to control mining.”
He said, “the town is waiting. People want answers. We want justice for Evans. And above all, want peace so life can go on without fear.”
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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GOLD Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF), has organised a sensitisation programme at Mile 10, one of its catchment communities in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality to raise awareness about childhood cancer.
The programme formed part of activities to observe this year’s World Childhood Cancer Day which falls on February 15 every year.
Speaking at the event, Dr Magdalene Bakari, the Lead specialist for health services for Gold Fields Ghana (GFG), said as part of their commitment to improve upon the health and lives of the people that they worked with, they decided to spend time with the residents of Mile 10.
She said one of the things they did was to focus on schooling the community about childhood cancers because such cancers were affecting their young ones, who were the country’s future leaders.
“We wanted to reinforce the education on childhood cancer, so people could identify the early signs, get treatment on time, and go on to live productive lives” Dr Bakari stated.
The lead specialist explained that GFG have a large catchment area, and over the years, they have tried to get to each community, adding that last year, they visited Subri, and earlier covered Koduakrom, Pepesa, and Huniso.
“In Mile 10 community, we noticed, it’s a community where poverty levels are high, and they also have a very youthful population with a high fertility rate. So, we wanted to bring this message to them as well” she indicated.
Dr Bakari reiterated that with so many children around, they felt it was important to educate the community to help parents and caregivers to pick up some of the issues early and further support them to have access to healthcare when needed.
Mr Abdel-Razak Yakubu, the Executive Secretary of the GFGF, said hundreds of residents were registered free of charge with the National Health Insurance programme to enable them have access to affordable health care.
He said staff from the National Health Insurance guided and showed residents how to renew subscription on their mobile phones when they expired, so they would not have to travel down to their office in Tarkwa for renewal.
Nana Obaatanpa Kojo Etroo I, Odikro of Mile 10 community, praised GFGF for selecting his community for the impactful health programme, stressing that, though the Mine would be leaving them, they would remember their efforts.
Maame Abena Owusu-Ansah, a mother of six expressed appreciation to the GFGF for facilitating her children’s NHI registration. -GNA
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AN Accra High Court has sentenced Richard Appiah, a footballer, to life imprisonment for the murder of two boys at Abesim in the Bono Region.
The convict was found guilty by a seven-member jury on two counts of murder.
The court heard that on August 20, 2021, Appiah murdered Stephen Sarpong, 15, and Louis Agyemang, 12, at his residence in Abesim.
The case began at the Kaneshie District Court, now the Adabraka District Court, where committal proceedings were held before it was transferred to the High Court in Accra.
The prosecution, led by Nana Ama Adinkra, a Senior State Attorney, called five witnesses, while the defence team, led by Mr Faustinus Yirilabuo, called two witnesses.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, a driver and father of Louis Agyemang, resided in the same community as the accused.
On the day of the incident, Appiah allegedly lured Louis Agyemang, his half-brother, to his residence. When the boy could not be found later in the evening, a relative, Mr Akwasi Boateng, questioned the accused about his whereabouts.
The accused joined in the search, after which a report was made to the police. Mr Boateng later went to the accused’s residence and, through a window, saw the victim lying motionless in his room. The police were alerted and forced open the locked room, where they made further discoveries.
The remains of both victims were subsequently conveyed to the Police Hospital for preservation and investigation.
During investigations, the accused led police to another location where additional evidence was retrieved. A brown envelope containing GH¢7,960 was also found in his room.
Appiah was charged with two counts of murder and pleaded not guilty.
In his defence, he expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and claimed he was suffering from severe depression and hallucinations at the time of the incident. His lawyers urged the jury to return a verdict of guilty but insane, arguing that he was mentally unstable and, therefore, not criminally responsible.
The defence maintained that their client acted under delusion and did not have the mental capacity to appreciate the consequences of his actions.
However, the prosecution argued that the accused was aware of his actions and took steps to conceal evidence, indicating that he knew the difference between right and wrong. The State further argued that insanity was an exception to criminal responsibility and must be strictly proven.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty.
Following the judgment, defence counsel, Mr Theophilus K. Dzimegah, indicated that the legal team would appeal the decision in the coming days.
-GNA
