Michael Kwadwo Peprah, President of the National Concerned Small Scale Miners Association of Ghana, has refuted allegations by the Ghana Police Service that he obstructed an anti-galamsey operation at Subriso Fante in the Ahafo Ano North municipality of the Ashanti region.
According to him, media reports about his arrest are misleading and were based on inaccurate information supplied by the police.
Kwadwo Peprah was arrested on Thursday, July 10, 2025, while attending a meeting with gold buyers in the Tepa enclave.
He says during the meeting, he received reports that a group of individuals, including some police officers, were allegedly burning motorcycles belonging to local residents.
“As a leader of a small-scale miners’ association, I went to the scene to ask questions and to find out which anti-galamsey task force was carrying out the operation,” he told the media. “To my surprise, I was arrested and accused of obstructing the operation and intervening on behalf of others claims that are entirely false.”
Kwadow Peprah stressed that when he arrived at the scene, no one had been arrested, making it impossible for him to have intervened on anyone’s behalf.
He also denied claims that he is involved in illegal mining operations in the area, stressing that his presence in the community is due to his role in the NDC’s campaign efforts during the 2024 elections.
“I played a leading role in the NDC’s campaign activities within mining communities before the 2024 elections. I’m also the President of the National Concerned Small Scale Miners Association, so I’m a well-known figure among miners. The claim that I own a mining site there is false,” he clarified.
Peprah called on the government to fulfill its campaign promise to properly regulate and streamline small-scale mining operations rather than using force.
“I’m disappointed with the current approach. The government, of which I’m a part as an NDC member, should not rely on brute force to tackle illegal mining. That won’t yield meaningful results,” he stated.
“The miners voted for us because we promised to regularize their activities. We should be implementing those policies now. Let’s register all small-scale miners and ensure they operate within the law. We saw how similar tactics by the previous NPP administration failed. Are we not repeating the same mistakes? We must move beyond this unfortunate approach.”
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