The Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda, has denied any role in the alleged release of arrested illegal miners during a confrontation between residents and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.
Speaking on Asempa FM, Mr. Dauda explained that he was attending meetings of the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa when he first heard about the NAIMOS operation. He said he asked an Assembly member to visit the site so he could communicate with the team leader overseeing the operation. However, the team leader reportedly declined to engage with him.
“When the calls kept coming, the Asutifi North MP contacted me, saying he was coming for a funeral in my constituency,” Dauda recounted. “I pleaded with him, given his position, to go and speak with the commander of the team, hoping he would be able to get a briefing. He did not initially plan to go; he only became involved because I asked him to.”
Mr. Dauda emphasized that he did not interfere in the operation or instruct anyone to release arrested individuals. “The conversation was not even completed, and the line dropped. I did not give any instructions to release the suspects,” he said.
His clarification comes amid an ongoing police investigation by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) following the November 1 incident. During the clash, NAIMOS personnel reportedly faced attacks, vehicles were damaged, and a mob attempted to prevent the handover of suspects and seized items at the Hwidiem Police Station.
Meanwhile, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, the MP for Asutifi North, also issued a statement describing his involvement as an “unfortunate misunderstanding.” He explained that he was on his way to a funeral in Achrensua when Mr. Dauda requested that he visit the site to assess the situation.
