The case of the assault on a JoyNews crew investigating illegal mining activities at Manso Asumenya in the Ashanti Region was called for the second time by the Bekwai Circuit Court.
Six employees of Edelmetallum Resources Limited are currently before the court, charged with five counts: assault, conspiracy to commit a crime, and stealing. Five others remain at large.
The accused are alleged to have forcibly abducted Erastus Asare Donkor, Majid Alidu, Edward Arkoh, and Nicholas Suantah, taking them to an undisclosed location, subjecting them to brutal beatings, and later abandoning them.
All the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when they first appeared before the court and were admitted to bail. The next hearing has been adjourned to January 14, 2025, for the prosecution to file witness statements.
Background
On October 20, 2024, at about 11:30 a.m., the complainants visited the Manso Asumenya area to investigate forest and farmland destruction, as well as water pollution caused by illegal mining activities attributed to Edelmetallum Resources Limited.
While undertaking their journalistic investigation at the site, the accused allegedly assaulted and subjected the crew to torture and inhumane treatment.
The accused further unlawfully detained the complainants in their own vehicle by placing two heavily built men in the vehicle and driving them to a remote forest near the Asanko Gold Mines at Manso Nkran.
Upon the complainants’ refusal to delete their video footage of the mining activities, the accused reportedly began punching and slapping the crew. The team leader, Erastus Asare Donkor, and drone pilot Majid Alidu sustained swollen right eyes, while the other two crew members bore swollen faces and marks of assault on their bodies.
The accused also seized the complainants’ mobile tablets, drone, and Samsung SD 128GB card containing the footage. While the mobile tablets and drone were later returned, the memory card was not.
Additionally, the accused reportedly stole a black backpack containing:
- A Lenovo 12 Pro tablet
- A drone bag with five drone batteries
- A power bank
- A JBL headset
- A Ghana Civil Aviation License
- Other personal effects
The stolen items were valued at approximately GH₵35,000.
After abandoning the complainants in the forest, the crew reported the incident to the police at Manso Adubia, leading to the subsequent arrests.
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