Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has dismissed claims that some illegal miners have supernatural powers that make it impossible for bullets to penetrate their bodies.
He said such claims are superstitious, thus must be treated with contempt.
Contributing to discussions on the fight against illegal mining, Mr Kpebu cautioned against giving such stories undue attention without scientific evidence.
“Let someone come and scientifically prove it on TV,” he said on TV3’s The KeyPoints on November 22.
“People exaggerate these things. We shouldn’t give them so much currency,” he stressed.
Mr Kpebu was reacting to assertions by the Head of the Western Region Forestry Commission, Nana Poku Bosompim.
According to him, he had received reports from some task force members that there are instances where the shoot at illegal miners and the bullets fall off their bodies due to spiritual fortification.
Mr Kpebu also urged government and the public to rethink the increasing deployment of military personnel for internal security operations.
Kpebu insisted that Ghana’s constitution places that responsibility squarely on the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Kpebu said the country risks “ceding the powers and constitutional role” of the police if state actors continue to prioritise military intervention in matters that fall under regular law-enforcement.
He argued that Article 200 of the 1992 Constitution clearly mandates the police to maintain law and order, while Article 210 assigns the military to external defence and specific national development roles.
Kpebu noted that many citizens have become conditioned to believe the military is better suited for internal security, but he said that belief is based more on perception than fact.
“Ghana didn’t start today. All over the world, duties inside the state are for the police. They have specialised units—marine police, counter-terrorism, SWAT. They are trained differently for different tasks,” he said.
He added that reliance on the military often grows because people are unaware that the police have specialised officers capable of handling high-risk operations.
According to him, teams such as the “NAIMOS Taskforce,” which now operates as an integrated unit, already include highly trained police officers.
Kpebu warned that overusing the military for law-enforcement could stunt the growth of the police service.
“When you do that, state institutions will never grow,” he said.
“We don’t have enough numbers, but we can recruit more young people and train them properly to perform these functions.”
He also called for clarity from the Inspector-General of Police, suggesting interviews or public briefs to explain the specialised units within the Police Service and how they operate.
Kpebu maintained that equipping the police with the right tools, including body cameras, would strengthen public trust and improve professionalism during operations.
He concluded by stressing that internal law-enforcement should remain a police-led process.
“The Police Service shall be equipped and maintained to perform the traditional role of maintaining law and order. They can do it,” he said.
