The Asankragwa District Court has, on Wednesday March 26, 2025, convicted Daniel Baidoo for an attack on a group of journalists at Adumanya near Asankran Breman in the Western Region.

The convict, Baidoo, was slapped with a fine of 300 penalty units amounting to GH¢3,600, or in default, serve one year imprisonment in hard labour.

In a statement posted on the Ghana Police Service official page on X, the convict was arrested on Friday, February 21, 2025, by the Western Central Regional Police Command, for the attack, during which they recovered a Panasonic Lumix camera and an iPhone belonging to the victims from him.

The police said they remain resolute to ensuring press safety and freedom in the discharge of their duties.

As a result of activities of illegal mining at Breman-Adumanya Forest, which destroyed over 261 acres of land in the Wassa Amenfi West District, Western Region, some journalists went to the area to provide news coverage on the situation.

According to reports, the damage, spearheaded by Chinese and Ghanaian galamsey operators, got timber trees, cocoa, and rubber crops destroyed, while polluting the surrounding River Tano.

However, upon arriving at the scene to record the destruction, Akwasi Agyei Annim, the Western Regional Correspondent for Citi News, encountered animosity.

The miners were warned by a security officer while Annim and his crew were recording.

After rapidly organising, the galamsey operators attacked the reporters and took their cameras, microphones, and Annim’s cell phone by force.

In addition to insulting Annim, the galamseyers reportedly detained the journalists till 7:00 PM by blocking their escape with his pickup truck.

Before permitting the media to depart, the miners insisted that all recordings be erased.

Read the statement below:

𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐎𝐍

— Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) April 2, 2025