Renowned investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has sounded a fresh alarm over the unabated destruction of Ghana’s vital water bodies, levelling serious allegations that party insiders within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) are actively sabotaging anti-galamsey initiatives.
In a public commentary shared on Facebook under the heading “Galamsey Update,” Donkor detailed how political heavyweights and party loyalists appear to be leveraging their influence to bypass mining bans, running illegal operations directly along major rivers while state enforcement teams struggle to clear polluters and confiscate machinery.
Focus on the Oda River and Bepotenten
Donkor zeroed in on the Oda River near Bepotenten in the Ashanti Region, pointing to it as a prime example of persistent environmental degradation. He directly linked the ongoing devastation in the area to Richmond Osei, an aspirant for the NDC Ashanti Regional Organizer position.
While these claims remain unverified by independent investigators, Donkor revealed that when confronted, Osei responded not with a formal defense, but with a tirade of personal attacks and insults aimed at the reporter’s character.
Defiance and Death Threats Against Taskforce Officers
The situation on the ground has reportedly escalated into direct intimidation. According to Donkor, field officers assigned to enforce anti-mining regulations were forced to disable heavy excavators at the site after repeated cease-and-desist warnings were blatantly disregarded.
In the aftermath of the raid, one of the taskforce officers reportedly received explicit death threats from the accused party figurehead.
These revelations highlight the increasing danger faced by frontline personnel attempting to safeguard the nation’s natural resources, though formal law enforcement agencies have yet to issue a official statement or launch a verified inquiry into the alleged threats.
A Direct Challenge to the Ruling Party
Expanding his critique beyond individual incidents, Donkor urged the NDC leadership to prove its political will by enforcing zero tolerance for environmental crimes within its own ranks. He emphasized that partisan loyalties must never serve as an umbrella of immunity for individuals stripping the land and poisoning water supplies.
Ghana Seems To Have Lost The Fight Against Galamsey
Calling out the glaring contradiction between high-level anti-corruption rhetoric and the tacit protection of politically connected offenders, the journalist cautioned that selective enforcement will ultimately render all national anti-galamsey campaigns useless.
Extending the Lens to the Pra River
The Oda River incident is reportedly just one fraction of a larger, systemic problem. Donkor signaled that similar illicit operations are actively defiling the Pra River, noting that he is currently compiling evidence to expose additional high-profile figures implicated in those operations.
Galamsey continues to pose an existential crisis across Ghana, systematically destroying aquatic habitats, contaminating municipal water supplies, and rendering vast tracks of agricultural land infertile. Donkor’s latest expose underscores a fundamental truth: until the law is applied equally—regardless of political clout—the nation’s rivers will continue to bear the cost.