He explained that they were simply there to earn a living, not to cause trouble.

“Reports that we went there armed with guns are false. We were only there to fight for our daily bread. When we saw the soldiers, we knelt and raised our hands, hoping they would just leave us alone. We told them we weren’t there to cause mayhem, but they didn’t listen.”

He made this known in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem.

Abdulai said that instead of the soldiers, leaving them, one received a call afterwards immediately opened fire on the group, killing some of them.

“They came to kill us. The soldiers who came were different. They were prepared, and they didn’t even talk to us. They just started shooting,” he narrated.

He said there was no exchange of fire, contrary to some reports. “There was no exchange of fire as was reported. We were not close to them, and there was a significant distance between us and the soldiers.”

Reflecting on the incident, Abdulai explained that this was not the first time they had gone to the mine, and such violence had never occurred before.

“For the number of years we’ve been going there, the soldiers usually don’t open fire like this. But these soldiers were different. They came with the intent to kill,” he said.

He also noted the tragedy of losing innocent people.

“One person who was killed was even a chief, and some were fathers. They were only there to find their daily bread. What we have seen, we will never go there again. We don’t want to see that ever again,” he cried.

Addressing a comment attributed to the miners, Abdulai clarified, “We never said that because our government is in power, we can do whatever we want. If our government was really in power, do you think we would risk our lives to go there and say those things?”

Abdulai acknowledged that the miners don’t blame the soldiers entirely for the unfortunate incident.

“We don’t blame the soldiers entirely, but also AngloGold because they employed the soldiers there. What was our crime? We only wanted to feed our families. We can’t just sit down and go hungry,” he stated.

When asked how they would eat in the future, Abdulai replied, “God will provide. We don’t want to commit any crimes.”

AngloGold Ashanti Ghana has confirmed the deadly clash between illegal miners and military personnel in its secured operational area at the northern section of the Obuasi concession.

The confrontation, which occurred on January 18, 2025, resulted in heightened tensions and the destruction of four vehicles.

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Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, has described the violent clashes between military and police officers at Tamale on Wednesday as shameful.

Mr. Saeed’s comments come after some soldiers allegedly brutalized some policemen, leaving eight of them seriously injured.

The attack on the police officers, according to initial reports, occurred after officials of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the police service arrested a soldier who had brutally assaulted his wife.

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In the process of arresting the soldier, his colleagues got wind of the situation and quickly went to his rescue, freeing the soldier in the process.

The angry soldiers then attacked the police officer and other officials who had gone to effect the arrest.

The soldiers subsequently attacked any other police officer they came across in the Tamale metropolis.

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But reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Northern Regional Minister said investigations into the incident have begun so as to establish the veracity of the matter and a solution proffered.

“I’ve already called the national level, the Defence and Interior Ministers will sit with the National Security and they’ll send a high powered delegation to come and meet the regional command so that we give them the basis and we leave them to address the problem once and for all,” he said.

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Mr. Salifu Saeed noted that in spite of the unprofessional conduct of the two security agencies which resulted in the clashes, Tamale remains safe.