I only intervened to calm tensions — Asutifi North MP on Hwidiem military attack

• Posted on November 3, 2025November 3, 2025
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, has clarified his involvement in the recent confrontation between residents of his constituency and members of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) task force at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.

In a statement issued on November 3, 2025, Mr. Addo said he felt compelled to respond to what he described as “an unfortunate misunderstanding” surrounding his role in the incident, which has drawn national attention.

Narrating the events, the MP explained that on November 1, 2025, he was on his way to a funeral at Achrensua in the Asutifi South Constituency when he received information about a tense situation at Hwidiem involving military personnel conducting operations at a gold extraction site.

He said he immediately contacted the MP for Asutifi South, Hon. Collins Dauda, who was outside the country at the time, and was asked to visit the site on his behalf to ascertain the situation.

Mr. Addo said that upon arriving at Hwidiem with his constituency vice chairman and driver, he introduced himself to the security officers present and encouraged them to speak directly with Hon. Dauda by phone.

“At the site, I saw some youth gathering, so I advised that we move to the police station to officially make a statement and hand over any suspects to the police to calm tensions,” he said.

He added that upon reaching the Hwidiem Police Station, they noticed that the main road had been blocked, preventing vehicles from moving. Together with officials from the military, police, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and other local security leaders, they remained at the police charge office while statements were taken.

The MP said he subsequently called the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem to assist in calming the situation, which the chief successfully did. According to Mr. Addo, the Zongo Chief later volunteered to transport the military officers in his vehicle after realizing that their pickup truck had been tampered with.

Mr. Addo reaffirmed his commitment to peace and collaboration with security agencies, stating that his intervention was intended solely to help defuse tension and prevent any escalation.

His clarification follows a police statement alleging that while the NAIMOS team was preparing to hand over suspects to the Hwidiem Police Station, the Asutifi North MP reportedly arrived at the scene with a group and demanded their release.

When the request was denied, the police said, a mob forcibly freed the suspects and chased the NAIMOS team from the area. A group of about 600 people, allegedly incited by the MP, later besieged the Hwidiem Police Station, demanding the release of the arrested miners.

They reportedly vandalised vehicles, including that of the NAIMOS Director, damaged parts of the police station, and attempted to set the facility ablaze.