Some residents of the Upper East region have announced plans to soon organise “massive demonstrations” against the regional police commander, DCOP Raymond Wejong Ali Adofiem, for reportedly shielding some crime suspects while prosecuting innocent people.
“Plans are far advanced with other youth groups in the region to organise massive protests or demonstrations against the actions of the regional police commander come next week,” they announced at a news conference in Talensi, a district in the region.
“It has become very important for this press statement following the regional commander using his office to shield crime doers while implicating innocent people.”
The news conference had been scheduled for Sunday, 8 June 2025, inside the main hall of the Fonky Grand Hotel in the region’s capital, Bolgatanga, at 3:00 p.m. Ghana time.
But it was indefinitely postponed after two police officers suddenly appeared early on the hotel’s premises and walked into that hall ahead of the event organisers.
The organisers believed the policemen, one of whom was identified as an officer from the Upper East Regional Police Headquarters, were sent to intimidate them and to plant weapons in the hall to incriminate them.
The conference took place days later at Yameriga, a community in Talensi, with people from across the district in attendance.
“The regional police commander is dangerously destroying the region rather than building peace and protecting lives as his primary duty to the good people of the Upper East.
“A lot of complaints against his actions are all over in the region and something must be done about it immediately,” they affirmed in a statement.
The press conference centred around a case involving the regional police commander and a small-scale miner named Zongdan Boyak Kolog— better known as Polo.
Facts as Presented by the Residents
A Chinese company operating in Talensi under the name Earl International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited, formerly known as Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited, attempted to capture Polo’s licensed gold-mining concession at Gban, a suburb of the district.
The concession, named Nanlamtaaba Enterprise, is situated at Gban, the same suburb that hosts the Chinese company.
Polo declined to surrender his property to the Chinese company. And as the foreign company persisted in the attempt to take over the concession, he headed to a high court in Bolgatanga and applied for an interlocutory injunction order, restraining the Chinese company and its allies from trespassing on that goldfield.
The court granted his request, ruling that he could continue with his business at the site. But some lawless members of that community subsequently threatened him, warning him to stay away from the concession. Those individuals took over the goldfield and began to illegally mine there as a gang.
Polo engaged the services of a private security firm called Sherlock Security Company— a decision grounded in a government policy— to protect his concession from the illegal miners.
The regional police commander prevented the security company from going to the site but promised to assist Polo to work there. The regional commander, instead of fulfilling that promise, frustrated Polo. This compelled Polo to lodge a petition with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) against the regional commander.
What followed Polo’s petition to the IGP
Following that petition, the regional commander invited Polo to a meeting where he suggested that Polo engage the encroachers as his workers.
Polo agreed to legally register them as part of his enterprise and to share with them the proceeds realised from the concession by a mutual agreement.
The regional commander also made an arrangement with the district police command in Talensi to escort Polo to the site. But while Polo’s representatives were registering the trespassers on Saturday, 31 May 2025, some police officers and military personnel, accompanied by 40 young men from Gban, invaded Polo’s house at the site and ransacked it.
The officers arrested the representatives, 8 in number, physically assaulted them and locked them in cells.
“It is shameful that the police planted an AK-47 among other items in his house and displayed it in the news to incriminate him. Polo has only a registered pump-action gun in the house at the site.
“We suspect that the said AK-47 was smuggled into the items for purposes of staging criminality in the house. This is why the IGP must come in immediately. We plead with you IGP,” said the residents in their press statement.
One of the highlights of the Yameriga presser also was a reference the residents made to a press conference some youth, believed to have been hired and sponsored by the allies of the Chinese company, had held at Gban against Polo following his arrest.
The residents said the conference was orchestrated to mislead the public with a false narrative aired and published by hired reporters who dined with the Chinese company and its local collaborators including some traditional chiefs.
“That is how the regional police commander uses his office, the media, individuals and groups to manipulate the good people of Ghana against the innocent Polo who has always used the law to resolve his issues and the records are there to show.
“That press conference was unfortunately based on total falsehood. Polo is never associated with any dangerous arms or robbery. That press statement is a cover-up and misleading, and should be investigated immediately by the appropriate security authorities,” they said.
Beliefs and Demands
The 8 men were granted bail but Polo was arrested later, and he is still in police custody on remand, according to the residents.
The residents expressed their belief that the regional commander was out to persecute Polo “with false evidence” for exposing his actions to the IGP.
They also held the belief that the regional commander was being used by some traditional authorities to frustrate Polo in support of the Chinese company that had shown a keen interest in taking over his concession.
“We suspect the arms and ammunition were planted on the suspects because these arms, which we have seen being paraded in pictures, are mostly used by the state security services, not private individuals.
“We are, therefore, asking that the police, particularly the Inspector-General of Police, to pick the serial numbers of the said weapons and investigate the actual handlers of the weapons and to whom they were assigned either by licence or by the state,” they said.
They added: “This will go to unravel how the regional police commander is doing everything possible to implicate Polo.”
They concluded their news conference with a number of demands directed at authorities including the current IGP, Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
“We demand the following actions to be taken by the appropriate authorities immediately to restore peace and rule of law within the mining sector in the region. We plead with the IGP to investigate the Upper East Regional Police Commander and the appropriate actions taken against him.
“The media that stand for justice should unravel the truth and report same to the good people of Ghana. Nalaamtaaba Enterprise should be provided with adequate security to work at its concession without interference,” they said.
Media Without Borders notified the regional commander on Sunday, 15 June 2025, about the news conference and requested his response to the allegations.
The author of this report forwarded a copy of the statement to him via WhatsApp after he asked what the conference was about.
But he never gave his response before the story was published at 4:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, 17 June 2025.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
