The Ghana Police Service has released its report on murder, causing unlawful damage and assault on public officer at the salt mining concession of Electrochem Ghana Limited in Ada.
It would be recalled that, there was a clash between some indigenes of Toflokpo, a village in the Ada West District and workers of Elctrochem Ghana Limited which had led to the death of one person.
Investigations, according to the police disclosed that in the first week of the month of November 2023, Electrochem Ghana Limited, a company registered under the laws of Ghana and engaged in the business of salt mining in Ada, notified all illegal salt miners within its concession to cease their activities and move out of the concession to enable the company start its operations.
Some of the indigenous miners from Toflokpo and its surrounding villages defied the company’s order and continued their activities.
The company deployed its security men and workers to Toflokpo to remove the tarpaulins laid by the illegal miners within its concession.
This led to the clash as the illegal miners, comprising indigenes of Toklokpo, Bonikope and Salom, resisted the actions of the security men which led to a clash between the two sides.
One person, John Korletey Agormeda, died in the process.
However, the Police Report on the matter indicates that postmortem examination was performed on the body of deceased John Korletey Agormeda and both Pathologists at Police Hospital, Accra, gave the verbal cause of death as “Severe head injury b. Penetrating injury to the head.”
“The pathologists are yet to submit a full autopsy report,” the Report said.
Below is the Full Police Report
POLICE REPORT ON MURDER, CAUSING UNLAWFUL DAMAGE AND ASSAULT ON PUBLIC OFFICERAT THE SALT MINING CONCESSION OF ELECTROCHEM GHANA
24 NOVEMBER, 2023
MURDER AND CAUSING UNLAWFUL DAMAGE CONTRARY
TO SECTIONS 46 AND 172(1)(6) OF THE CRIMINAL OFFENCES
ACT 1960
POLICE OFFICER IN CHARGE CASE: D/INSPR. DERICK DEBRAH
Brief Facts: On 06/i 1/2023, about 12:00pm, the Tema Regional Police Command received a distress call that there was a clash between some indigenes of Toflokpo, a village in the Ada West District and workers of Elctrochem Ghana Limited which had led to the death of one person.
2. Investigations disclosed, that in the first week of the month of November 2023, Electrochem Ghana Limited, a company registered under the laws of Ghana and engaged in the business of salt míning in Ada, notified all illegal salt miners within its concession to cease their activities and move out of the concession to enable the company start its operations.
However, some of the indigenous miners from Toflokpo and its surrounding villages defied the company’s order and continued their activities. Consequently, on 06/11/2023, the company deployed its security men and workers to Toflokpo to remove the tarpaulins laid by the illegal miners within its concession. The illegal miners, comprising indigenes of Toklokpo, Bonikope and Salom, resisted the actions of the security men which led to a clash between the two sides. In the
process the miners burnt some machines which the Electrochem workers were using to work, namely; One Hamm Compactor mach ine, one Hitachi Long Boom Excavator, one XCMG 235 Excavator and one XCMG Dozer as well as the company’s site office.
3. On same day at about 11:00 am, the District Chief Executive for Ada West, Hon. Sampson Tetteh Kpamkpah on board his oficial Nissan Patrol vehicle with registration number GT s403-19 driven by Emmanuel Lomotey, went to Toflokpo on a fact-finding mission in response to the clash. However, the miners attacked and subjected him to severe beatings, tore his shirt and also caused damage to his official vehicle by smashing the front passenger door and the rear windscreen.
4. In the evening of same day, at 6.00pm, some of the miners went to the house of Joshua Anim, a worker of Electrochem Ghana Limited, at Salom and attacked his wife and children who were in the house. They broke into the sewing shop of his wife and a drinking spot and
destroyed several properties, namely; Two industrial sewing machines, two manual sewing machines, one deep freezer, one double decker fridge, assorted drinks in the shop, assorted wax prints and also made away with cash the sum of Ghc 6,800.00. The illegal miners also destroyed two 15000-liter Polytan ks, which had been installed by the company within the premises of Joshua Anim’s house to provide storage of water for the community members.
5. It was also established that the deceased, John Korletey Agormeda, was not a miner and was not at the scene at the time the clash between the miners and Electrochem workers occurred.
6. The reconstruction of the scene of crime has established that the spot where the deceased’s body was found measured about 307.5 metres from the scene where the clash occurred, which suggest that the cause of death was from within the Toflokpo community.
7. Contrary to the initial allegation that Police officers shot and killed the deceased, it has been established that the Policemen on detachment at Electrochem company were not at the scene when the clash ensued between the miners and Electrochem workers.
8. It has again been established that official weapons issued to all the Policemen on detachment at Electrochem Company Limited are CZ 807 rifles, which uses 7.62x 39 ammunitions.
Consequently, the four empty BB ammunitions which were found around the body of the deceased could not have been fired by the Police as initially alleged by the Chiefand people of Toflokpo.
9. On 11/11/2013, Suspect Nomo Teye Baadu Anim, who was identified by the DCE as one of his assailants. The suspect was also identified by Isaac Wahiazah, the head of security of Electrochem Ghana Limited as being part of the gang that caused damage to the Company’s property.
On 13/11/2023, the suspect was put before the Circuit Court in Ashaiman, where he was remanded into Police custody. The case has been adjourned to 7h December, 2023.
10. On 14/1 1/2023, postmortem examination was performed on the body of deceased John Korletey Agormeda by ACP/Dr. Osei Owusu-Afriyie and DSP/Dr. Stephen Annan, both Pathologists at Police Hospital, Accra, in the presence of William Ashiagbor, an uncle of the
deceased. The pathologists gave the verbal cause of death as follows; a. Severe head injury b. Penetrating injury to the head. The pathologists are yet to submit a full autopsy report.
INTENDED ACTION:
The case is under investigations to apprehend some suspects whose names have been mentioned in the case of assault on the DCE and the unlawful damage to Electrochem property.
The Police have also intensified its investigations to ascertain the cause of death of the deceased and arrest the perpetrators involved.
TONY ADDIPAH
CI SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE
REGIONÀL CRIME OFFICER