Four defendants in illegal sand mining case remanded in Ghana
A court in Accra, Ghana, has remanded four men accused of illegal sand mining in Teacher Mantey near Amasaman. Kofi At'emo, Ebenezer Tette Gyablatey, John Gayford and Ebenezer Kwafo pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to illegally mine sand and unlawfully damaging crops, MyJoyOnline reports.
Bail denied
Defence lawyers requested bail for the accused, but the prosecution objected. The prosecution said the alleged offences were serious and carried severe penalties, and that the men could abscond if released.
The judge agreed with the prosecution's position and remanded all four accused. The next hearing was scheduled for September 24, 2026.
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Prosecution's version
According to police, between 2024 and 2026, landowners Francis Oka and Prince Annor received reports from caretakers about alleged unlawful entry onto their land. Investigators claim that the accused used a wheel loader and heavy-duty trucks to extract sand.
Francis Oka owns a 4.5-acre plot, while Prince Annor owns two plots. According to the prosecution, Oka's fence and Annor's crops were damaged during the alleged operations. The value of the damage has not yet been determined.
Police also said that surveillance cameras at a neighbouring house allegedly recorded the extraction and transportation of sand from Annor's plot. According to investigators, Gayford and Kwafo were responsible for two tipper trucks with registration numbers GN-9145-2 and GN-6778-Z, which transported the sand in an unknown direction. The prosecution identifies At'emo as the alleged organiser of the activity, while police continue to search for other possible suspects.
