missing excavators – Adomonline.com https://www.adomonline.com Your comprehensive news portal Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:39:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://www.adomonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-Adomonline140-32x32.png missing excavators – Adomonline.com https://www.adomonline.com 32 32 Galamsey: NDC Deputy Youth Organiser arrested over missing seized excavators in Bibiani-Anhwiaso https://www.adomonline.com/galamsey-ndc-deputy-youth-organiser-arrested-over-missing-seized-excavators-in-bibiani-anhwiaso/ Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:25:37 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2623686 The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy Youth Organiser for Bibiani-Anhwiaso, Adams Smith, has been arrested by the Ghana Police Service over his alleged involvement in the disappearance of excavators seized from illegal mining operators in the area.

The arrest follows investigations into the movement of heavy mining equipment that had earlier been confiscated during anti-galamsey operations in the municipality.

Confirming the development on Adom TV’s Badwam, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai, Sebastian Obeng, explained that the machines were originally secured by the Forestry Commission and the Lands Ministry before he assumed office.

“When I assumed office on April 23, 2025, the Forestry Commission and Lands had seized a number of excavators. Because there was limited space at the Assembly, some of them were sent to a place called Malta,” he said.

According to the MCE, the Forestry Manager later alerted him that some of the excavators stored at Malta were being transported with a low-bed truck.

“Last Thursday, the Forestry Manager called to say that someone had gone to transport the excavators with a low-bed. I contacted the Police Commander, and he confirmed receiving the same information,” Mr. Obeng noted.

He said 10 excavators were parked at the site, but three had already been moved before police intervened.

“They had already moved three and were coming for the fourth. So I instructed that the low-bed operator should be arrested, and in the course of investigations, it came to light that the NDC Youth Organiser had granted permission for the movement,” he added.

Through police efforts, two of the excavators were later traced to Juabo in Amenfi Central, while another was recovered from Upper Denkyira West.

Mr. Obeng said investigations are still ongoing to determine whether Adams Smith acted alone or in collaboration with others.

“We are thoroughly investigating to know if it is just him or there are others involved,” he stated.

The MCE further disclosed that the suspect also serves as the Youth Employment Coordinator for the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality.

Although he stopped short of confirming financial inducement, Mr. Obeng revealed there are claims the suspect demanded GH¢600,000 and allegedly received GH¢400,000, with a balance of GH¢200,000 to be paid after the machines were successfully moved.

“I cannot outrightly confirm it, but those are claims that have come up during the investigations,” he said.

He explained that the location where the excavators were parked was previously used by the contractor who worked on the Bibiani-Anhwiaso road project, hence the area was not abandoned.

“The police were supervising the excavators. People live around the area. It is not an abandoned site. I don’t know him to be an illegal miner, but I don’t know if he is secretly involved. That is why we never thought anyone would go there and move the excavators,” the MCE added.

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]]> MP makes damning allegations against Hannah Bissiw [Listen] https://www.adomonline.com/mp-makes-damning-allegations-against-hannah-bissiw-listen/ Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:52:58 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2556871 Trobu Member of Parliament (MP) Gloria Owusu has alleged that the Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw-Kotei, may be complicit in the alleged disappearance of 33 seized excavators.

Dr. Bissiw-Kotei, who also serves as the National Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), recently revealed that 33 out of 40 excavators seized during an anti-galamsey operation had gone missing.

According to her, the machines were initially left at the illegal mining sites due to the absence of lowbed trucks for transportation. However, upon returning the next day, only seven machines remained.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, MP Gloria Owusu questioned the credibility of that account, claiming that there are widespread allegations suggesting Dr. Bissiw-Kotei facilitates the release of the seized excavators to their owners in exchange for bribes.

“How is it that Hannah Bissiw will go and seize excavators, and then within 24 hours, she will come and tell us 33 are missing? The allegation is that she takes GH¢200,000 from the excavator owners and releases them,” the lawmaker claimed.

Calls are growing for a full-scale investigation into the matter as public concern mounts over accountability in the fight against illegal mining.

Source: Gertrude Otchere 

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]]> 33 out of 40 seized excavators went missing – Hannah Bissiw [Video] https://www.adomonline.com/33-out-of-40-seized-excavators-went-missing-hannah-bissiw-video/ Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:20:39 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2550136

The Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw-Kotei, has raised serious concerns after 33 excavators seized during an anti-galamsey operation went missing.

In an interview on Adom FM’s Burning Issues, Dr. Bissiw-Kotei, who is also the National Women’s Organiser for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), explained that the 40 excavators could not be transported from the galamsey sites after the operation due to the lack of a lowbed vehicle.

However, when her team returned the following morning, only seven excavators remained.

“We seized 40 excavators, but when we came back the next morning, only seven were left. I was not happy with the situation and confronted the Police Commander about it. The seven we retrieved are currently in custody,” she disclosed.

Reflecting on the incident, Dr. Bissiw-Kotei said she now ensures every operation is fully prepared to prevent such occurrences. She remains committed to the fight against illegal mining, noting that operations have become more dangerous with recent ambushes and gunfire incidents.

“We now include experts in our operations for safety and effectiveness,” she added.

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]]> 33 out of 40 excavators in Police custody went missing - Hannah Bissiw nonadult Missing excavators: Seth Mantey finally breaks silence https://www.adomonline.com/missing-excavators-seth-mantey-finally-breaks-silence/ Tue, 17 Oct 2023 20:56:16 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2306948 Seth Mantey, a former journalist with Accra-based Peace FM indicted in Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng’s galamsey report, has denied any involvement in the sale of excavators.

Mr Mantey said the former Environment Minister’s allegations against him are false.

Setting records straight at a press conference, he also denied ever giving an official statement to Prof Frimpong-Boateng, who was the chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

This follows the Attorney General’s opinion which said the 36-page report was empty and did not provide evidence for the persons indicted to be prosecuted.

The Attorney, Godfred Yeboah Dame, therefore asked the Police CID to discharge the accused persons except for three, including Seth Mantey and former Central Regional NPP Vice Chairman, Ekow Ewusi, pending further investigation.

At a press conference in Accra on Monday, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) reacting to the AG’s advice, insisted that there is “smoking gun evidence” that implicates Mantey and others, including Ekow Ewusi and John Ofori Atta, a former Central Regional Security Coordinator, in the sale of at least 27 excavators seized from illegal miners.

But narrating his side of the story, Mr Mantey said the issues started in October 2019 when he was invited to Professor Frimpong-Boateng’s office.

He claimed he[Frimpong-Boateng] asked him to sign a document that had been written, but he refused and later asked him to print out his bank statement.

“I am speaking because there has been an initial press conference by the NDC relating to the issues. The statement that the NDC talked about in their press conference is fake. I have not written any statement, nor have I signed that statement. In the purported statement, there are some contacts on the statement that are not mine,” he said.

“I have never said anywhere that I have been an errand boy for some of the individuals mentioned in the statement. Those who wrote the statement have even apologized to me. This is not the statement I wrote after I was invited by the police. I don’t work for Prof. Frimpong-Boateng so that allegation shouldn’t be taken seriously” Mr. Mantey added.

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]]> Frimpong-Boateng exposes NPP over missing excavators https://www.adomonline.com/frimpong-boateng-exposes-npp-over-missing-excavators/ Sat, 11 Mar 2023 21:15:49 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2226842

Former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has denied any wrongdoing over 500 excavators which reportedly went missing.

According to him, it was an orchestration by some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to get him out of office.

“No 500 excavators went missing, it was somebody who threw it into the media space to tag something on Frimpong-Boateng. What am I doing with 500 excavators? The true story is that, at the start of Operation Vanguard, the soldiers were supposed to seize the excavators.

“So, they go into the forest where they’re doing the mining and remove the control board and if they remove 20 today, they report that they have mobilised 20 control boards,” he said in an interview with GTV.

Setting the records straight, he stated the claims were baseless as no excavator went missing as purported.

“So, we got the report that they had mobilised over 750 excavators so we appointed somebody to go and when we went round, I think we got about 150, 200 that you could see. The rest had either been given to the owners or put in extra parts and moved away.

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Former MP dares NDC over Prof Frimpong-Boateng [Listen]

Upper West miners say Frimpong Boateng not culpable in missing excavators

“And somebody put it out there, Frimpong-Boateng has taken 500 excavators, what am I going to do with them? There was an orchestrating scheme even within the party and government to get me out,” he stated.

]]> 500 missing excavators: Charles Bissue dares Frimpong-Boateng https://www.adomonline.com/500-missing-excavators-charles-bissue-dares-frimpong-boateng/ Mon, 10 Oct 2022 13:24:29 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2170103

Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has been challenged to back with evidence his claims that over 500 excavators seized from illegal miners had gone missing.

Former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue, said the former Minister owes it a duty of care to the state to back his “reckless comment” with some evidence.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who was also Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, shocked many when he claimed over 500 excavators had disappeared.

This brought embarrassment to the Akufo-Addo government which had sworn to win the war against illegal mining known in local parlance as ‘galamsey’.

Though the police arrested six persons in connection with the disappearance including then Central Regional Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ekow Ewusi, the issue died a natural death.

Charles Bissue

This development, according to Mr Bissue, has given their political opponents arsenals to bring the name of President Akufo-Addo into disrepute.

Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem programme Monday, the livid NPP man stated unequivocally that, no excavator went missing during their tenure.

He could not fathom why Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has kept a long silence when he knows the claim is just a figment of his imagination.

 Mr Bissue said “if he (Prof. Frimpong-Boateng) has got nothing to hide, he should come out and explain to Ghanaians the motive for his comment and put this matter to rest.”

]]> Arrest, prosecute owners of missing excavators – Ellembelle DCE charges police https://www.adomonline.com/arrest-prosecute-owners-of-missing-excavators-ellembelle-dce-charges-police/ Fri, 09 Sep 2022 15:57:14 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2161006

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzo, has called for the arrest and prosecution of the owners of the excavators which went missing after they were impounded.

He argued that considering the level of land degradation in the area due to the activities of these excavators, the owners must face the full rigours of the law.

In the past few days, the DCE has come under a barrage of accusations following the disappearance of two excavators in the Ellembelle District.

He was granted a police enquiry bail on Thursday, September 8, after being charged with offensive conduct and assault for allegedly attempting to obstruct an operation to retrieve the missing excavators.

Speaking to the media after his court appearance, Mr Bonzo was hopeful that the remaining culprits would be arrested.

“I want to thank the Regional Police Command for the decisive action in [retrieving] the excavators and also [arresting] the Chinese. This is what we have been yearning for since the outbreak of all these events.

“We have confidence that the same process through which they found one excavator, they will find the second excavator and also the owners of the excavators must be found and brought to book.

“If you look at the level of degradation that these two excavators have done on the lands in our district, there is no way these owners of the excavators can go scot-free,” he said.

Update on arrests

The Ghana Police Service has arrested nine more suspects and retrieved three excavators and three pump action guns in another anti-galamsey operation in the Western Region.

The suspects are made up of three Chinese nationals and six Ghanaians.

This was done through “a special police operation conducted between the night of September 7, till the dawn of September 8, 2022,” the statement said.

]]> New twist to missing excavators https://www.adomonline.com/new-twist-to-missing-excavators/ Thu, 25 Feb 2021 13:04:35 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=1924747 The Lands and Natural Resources Minister-designate, Samuel Jinapor, has set a new course for the missing excavators which were seized.

Reports were rife in February 2020 about some 500 excavators seized by anti-galamsey taskforce, Operation Vanguard which had gone missing.

Some persons, including the New Patriotic Party’s Central Regional Chair, Ekow Awusi, were subsequently arrested over the disappearance of the missing equipment and accused of stealing.

However, Mr Jinapor, who appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, said 209 excavators were confiscated by the inter-ministerial taskforce against galamsey.

According to the nominee, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damango, the 500 figure that was circulated was inaccurate.

However, he admitted the committee could only account for 161, adding there is a full report on the matter.

His response was to a question posed by the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, during the vetting.

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Mr Ablakwa cited the 2020 budget, saying page 148 indicated that as part of the operation vanguard taskforce assignment to fight galamsey, there was the seizure of over 2,000 weapons, over 4,000 mining equipment and over 1,000 illegal miners arrested.

But Mr Jinapor argued the seizure of equipment is different from confiscation.

To him, the word “seizure” used could mean that some materials could have been returned since the word “seizure” does not follow lawful processes.

]]> Confusion rocks Parliament over number of missing excavators https://www.adomonline.com/confusion-rocks-parliament-over-number-of-missing-excavators/ Tue, 18 Feb 2020 13:59:01 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=1754465 The Minority in Parliament, as a matter of urgency, is asking for clarity on the number of missing excavators which seized by the State.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, was of the view that the varying numbers circulating in the media are creating confusion and there was the need for the government to come clear on it.

In a statement on the Floor of Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Iddrisu, making reference to documents available to him, said about 900 excavators have been seized.

“We want to know the number of excavators seized, stolen and repaired but we want to make it clear that the manifestation of failure of the president’s galamsey fight was after the release of galamsey expert and queen Aisha Huang,” he said.

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Mr Iddrisu added that the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng must resign.

However, Member of the Inter Ministerial taskforce, Hajia Alima Mahama in a rebuttal announced that less than 34 excavators remain unaccounted for and not the figures being put out.

In a statement on the floor, the Minister for Local Government assured government was committed to bring those responsible for the missing equipment to book.

]]> Fabewoso: ‘Galamsey still on the rise despite Akufo-Addo’s fight’ [Video] https://www.adomonline.com/fabewoso-galamsey-still-on-the-rise-despite-akufo-addos-fight-video/ Mon, 17 Feb 2020 13:55:11 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=1753907 It has emerged that galamsey is still on the rise despite efforts by the Akufo-Addo-led government to fight the menace.

The new revelation follows a viral video which led to the arrest of Mr Horace Ekow Ewusi, suspended Central Regional vice chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who was reported to the police by Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng requested an investigation into some 500 seized excavators that had gone missing.

Revealing a new twist to the story on Adom FM, Francis Asiedu, who said he had keenly followed the fight against galamsey said the activities are still on the rise in Topremang in the Eastern region.

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He further revealed that as at Friday, February 14, 2020 about 20 to 24 excavators were found on various galamsey sites in the area, a situation which has polluted a lot of water bodies in the area.

]]> MP sets records straight on missing excavators [Audio] https://www.adomonline.com/mp-sets-records-straight-on-missing-excavators-audio/ Thu, 06 Feb 2020 19:18:47 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=1750298 Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abura Asebu Kwamankese has cleared the air on his involvement in galamsey operations and missing excavators.

Mr Elvis Donkoh although admitted to meeting the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, has denied his involvement in the missing excavators.

He said this in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Thursday.

 “I applied for excavators to level the roads in my constituency and Ekow Ewusi as a constituent suggested I speak to the minister but he declined my request,” he said.

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The MP’s name was mentioned in a leaked conversation between Mr Ewusi and Prof Frimpong-Boateng, who were heard making some damning statements about alleged galamsey concessions and excavators.

The leaked video comes days after reports emerged that about 500 excavators seized by anti-galamsey taskforce, Operation Vanguard are missing.

Meanwhile, Mr Ewusi has been arrested and is under interrogation following reports that he sold some of the seized excavators.

]]> Fabewoso: Taskforce official makes interesting revelations on missing excavators [Video] https://www.adomonline.com/fabewoso-taskforce-official-makes-interesting-revelations-on-missing-excavators-video/ Wed, 05 Feb 2020 17:06:26 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=1749766 Leader of the Special Monitoring, Evacuation and Operation Team of Operation Vanguard, Nana Yaw Boadu has admitted that a number of equipment seized by his outfit can’t be accounted for.

He has, however debunked reports that about 500 seized excavators were missing from various yards at which they were kept.

According to Mr Boadu, the excavators and other equipment seized by his team were kept at various yards including Oyarifa, Aviation, Tema, Obuasi, Abelemkpe, Tarkwa and other yards across Ghana.

Speaking on Adom FM morning show, Dwaso Nsem‘s anti-corruption segment Fabewoso, Mr Boadu explained that efforts were being put in place to bring all the equipment and excavators under one yard.

“At a point in time, we received stories of missing excavators and decided to bring all of them together to make identification by owners easy,” he said.

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Nana Boadu revealed that about 138 excavators had been assembled with efforts underway to bring about 32 from other yards but admitted some excavators are missing and others had been sold to unauthorised persons.

Nana Boadu appealed to Ghanaians and excavator owners to provide relevant documents to facilitate investigation processes.

Meanwhile, Mr Mensah, an excavator owner revealed how his two excavators seized only for him to be asked for GHS50,000 as a precondition for its.

Watch the attached video above for more.

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