By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
The Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, has clarified his involvement in the recent confrontation between residents of Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region and members of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) task force.
In a statement issued on November 3, 2025, the MP said his presence at the scene had been misinterpreted, describing the incident as “an unfortunate misunderstanding.”
Events leading up to the clash
According to Mr. Addo, he was on his way to attend a funeral at Achrensua, within the Asutifi South Constituency, ou Saturday November 1, 2025, when he received urgent reports of a tense standoff in Hwidiem involving military officers carrying out an operation at a mining site.
Concerned about the situation, he immediately reached out to Hon. Collins Dauda, the MP for Asutifi South, who was out of the country at the time. Mr. Dauda reportedly asked him to visit the location to verify what was happening.
Mr. Addo said he proceeded to Hwidiem accompanied by his constituency vice chairman and driver. Upon arrival, he introduced himself to the military personnel and facilitated a phone conversation between them and Hon. Dauda.
“At the site, I saw some youth gathering, so I advised that we move to the police station to officially make a statement and hand over any suspects to the police to calm tensions,” he explained in the statement.
Escalation at the police station
The MP stated that when his team and the officers reached the Hwidiem Police Station, they discovered that the main road had been blocked, halting vehicular movement.
He added that he, together with the military, police, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) officers, and other local security officials, remained at the charge office as statements were taken.
To help defuse the situation, Mr. Addo said he contacted the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, who successfully helped calm the crowd. The chief later offered to drive the military officers away from the area after discovering that their pickup truck had been tampered with.
Mr. Addo further emphasized that his sole intention was to prevent chaos and promote cooperation between residents and security agencies. He stressed, “My intervention was only to help defuse tension and prevent any escalation.”
Police version of events
However, a police report paints a different picture. It alleged that while the NAIMOS task force was preparing to hand over arrested suspects to the police, the Asutifi North MP arrived with a group demanding the suspects’ release.
When the demand was refused, police claim a mob forcibly freed the suspects and drove the NAIMOS team away. Later, an estimated 600 people reportedly besieged the Hwidiem Police Station, vandalising vehicles including one belonging to the NAIMOS Director and damaging parts of the building. They allegedly attempted to set the station on fire.
Despite these allegations, Mr. Addo insists that his actions were motivated solely by a desire to maintain peace and order, not to interfere with security operations.
