Adelekezo Demands End to Police Harassment

The Adelekezo community and the parents of 13-year-old Pious Nkansah, also known as Nkrumah, have demanded immediate action from state authorities following the fatal shooting of the child in the Nzema East Municipal District of the Western Region, in an incident linked to alleged illegal mining operations.

In a statement released after court proceedings on 18 December 2025, the community called for the immediate cessation of what it describes as harassment and indiscriminate police actions within Adelekezo, warning that sustained law enforcement operations have created fear and panic, forcing many residents to flee their homes.

The statement further demanded the withdrawal of criminal charges against six indigenous youth, some of them minors, arguing that their prosecution violates the constitutional principle of the best interests of the child. The community insists that the arrests arose directly from circumstances created by unlawful mining activities and institutional failure, rather than criminal conduct by the youth.

Central to the demands is a call for an independent and impartial investigation into the killing of Pious Nkansah and the use of live ammunition by private security personnel. The community maintains that the child was unarmed and was not involved in any violent activity at the time he was shot.

The Adelekezo residents are also calling for the continued suspension of all mining activities in the area pending full legal verification of mineral rights and accountability for alleged unlawful operations. According to the statement, mining activities disrupted access to farmlands and water sources, depriving families of their livelihoods.

Finally, the community appealed for the restoration of peace and security to enable residents who have fled the town to return home safely and allow the family to bury the 13-year-old child with dignity, a right they say has been denied by ongoing police presence and fear of arrest.

The statement stressed that the demands are not a call for violence or retaliation, nor an attack on any nationality or group, but a plea for justice, human dignity and the faithful application of the rule of law.

“A genuine fight against illegal mining must protect human life before machinery, children before profit, and citizens before impunity,” the statement said.

 

 

For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z

The post Adelekezo Demands End to Police Harassment appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story