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Samson Anyenini claims the police’s statement about ‘waiting for a court date’ in Erastus’ case is a falsehood

Private legal practitioner Samson Lardy Anyenini has expressed grave concerns regarding the police’s response to the assault on award-winning journalist Erastus Asare Donkor and his team, who were reporting on illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as galamsey.

Mr. Anyenini, who is also the host of JoyNews’ Newsfile, characterized the attack as a near-fatal incident and criticized law enforcement for their leniency towards the perpetrators.

“There appears to be a lie in the narrative. Journalists were almost killed. And let’s be frank about it, they were just lucky—God saved them.

“These armed men marched them into the bush, heckled, and beat them. What these armed men did was kidnapping. If it doesn’t get any more serious than that, what else should?”

In an interview, the lawyer questioned the police’s handling of the attack, particularly their decision to grant police inquiry bail to three suspects who had turned themselves in.

“These are people who were involved in galamsey and they were armed. They assaulted journalists, so I don’t understand why immediately they granted Police inquiry bail to these attackers the way they did,” Samson said on Tuesday.

He voiced his disbelief at the police’s approach, stressing that in a serious case like this, standard legal procedure should have mandated that the suspects be arraigned in court within 48 hours.

“If you [police] say you have filed the case in court and you are waiting for a date, take my word for it, that will be a lie from the pit of hell,” Anyenini said.

He stated that once charges are filed, a court appearance date is automatically assigned, countering the police’s assertion that they are waiting for a date.

He insisted that the proper legal process requires the suspects to appear in court without delay.

Background of the assault

The assault took place on Sunday, October 20, in Asumenya, a community in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region, where the Multimedia Group crew was investigating the environmental damage caused by illegal mining activities.

The team, led by Erastus Asare Donkor, was reporting on the destruction of farmlands and water bodies in the region.

Their coverage highlighted the negative impact of the mining operations conducted by Edelmetallum Mining Resources Limited, a company reportedly linked to Adelaide Tettey as a shareholder, according to the GJA.

While filming, the journalists were confronted by armed thugs allegedly guarding the mining site. The assailants, wielding pump-action guns, forcibly took control of the crew and their equipment.

The armed men then transported the journalists to a remote forest, where they subjected them to a vicious assault. Erastus Asare Donkor and his team sustained serious injuries, including swollen eyes and ear trauma, before being left in the isolated area.

The Multimedia crew managed to report the incident to the Manso Edubia Police Station, where they were provided with medical forms and later sought treatment at Agroyesum Hospital.

The journalists reported that their attackers claimed to be acting on orders from the owner of Edelmetallum Mining Resources Limited.

The Ghana Journalists Association, the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, and many other civil society organisations have since condemned the kidnapping and assault, and have demanded a speedy prosecution of the perpetrators.

In his latest update of what may have become of the criminal case, Erastus said the police are growing cold to the issue, while their equipment which was seized by the suspects remain in their custody.

“Those drone batteries, the tablets, are very expensive for common journalists like us. We bought them with our own money, and we need them back,” he had said when he first recounted the ordeal on radio.

Police actions so far

Upon their release by the gangsters, Erastus said he and his colleagues reported the matter to the local police who confronted but failed to arrest the suspects. The suspects had boldly refused to honour the police invitation and the police appeared helpless.

And when they later reported themselves to the police, they were given bail after their statements were allegedly taken.

 

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