One person is dead and two others are receiving treatment after sustaining gunshot wounds in a military clash with some residents of Mpatuam in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti region.
Assembly member of Aboabo, Samuel Danquah, was confirmed dead at the hospital after he was allegedly shot by the soldiers in an altercation.
The tragic incident is said to have occurred on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, following a clash between the youth and the military on a mining concession in the area.
According to the Assembly Member for Mpatuam, Kwame Sakyi, the clash erupted after the agitated youth in the community accused Asanko Mines security of killing a miner a day before.
The residents, in response to the alleged killing, blocked roads to the community, leading to a scuffle between the youth and security personnel.
“During the confrontation, the armed soldiers opened fire on the residents of which a stray bullet from the sporadic gunshots allegedly hit the Assembly member and injured two others,” he said.
According to reports, the confrontation began when an unidentified man was allegedly killed at the company’s mining site, prompting his family to reject the body.
The situation escalated further when deceased assemblyman attempted to mediate between the angry family and officials.
Eyewitnesses say he was shot multiple times in the process.
The body of the 45-year-old was later disposed of at the Mother of God Clinic in Esaase Bontefufuo, where aggrieved residents of both towns, Aboabo and Mpatuam, besieged the premises, wailing, chanting, and vowing revenge.
A staff at the clinic explained that military and private security personnel are often stationed at the mine’s concession to ward off encroachment.
“Sometimes the residents go near the debris hoping to find traces of gold. The military suspects that was what the unidentified man was attempting before he was killed. Unfortunately, the Assemblyman, who was only trying to calm tensions, also lost his life,” he said.
A brother of the deceased said the assemblyman was only trying to resolve the brewing standoff.
“My brother was not illegally mining, he was an Assemblyman. He was trying to mediate when he saw the mining machines working, and the agitations about the recent shooting, and they shot him. We demand justice,” he said.
Reports suggest the agitated youth have begun setting ablaze cars and other properties belonging to the mine.
Kwame Sakyi, who witnessed the incident, described the scene as chaotic, with the youth demanding justice for their deceased colleague.