A 16-year-old boy has been shot dead under disturbing circumstances at an illegal mining site in Amasu, a farming community in the Dormaa East District of the Bono Region, underscoring the human cost of Ghana’s deepening galamsey crisis.
The victim, identified as Issahaku Ansu, was reportedly engaged in small-scale illegal mining (popularly known as galamsey) when he was fatally shot by an unknown assailant on Sunday, August 31, 2025.
In a statement, the Bono Regional Police Command confirmed the tragic incident. The release, signed by its Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Thomas Akeelah, revealed that the victim was shot from a distance while working at the site.
“Investigations suggest that the victim was shot from a nearby bush while engaged in illegal mining activities, causing others at the site to flee,” the statement read.
Police officers who arrived at the scene found Ansu’s body lying in a pool of blood with multiple gunshot wounds to the back. The teenager was wearing only a pair of wine-coloured boxer shorts, now soaked with blood. His body has since been deposited at the Dormaa Ahenkro Presbyterian Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
While the motive for the killing remains unclear, the incident adds to the growing list of violent and fatal outcomes linked to illegal mining operations in Ghana.
The galamsey trade, though lucrative, has become notorious for lawlessness, violent confrontations, and recurring accidents. Beyond environmental devastation—such as the destruction of forests and pollution of major rivers like the Pra and Ankobra—the sector continues to claim lives, particularly among vulnerable youths lured by the promise of quick wealth.
Many teenagers, like Ansu, are often drawn into the perilous trade due to limited educational and employment opportunities in rural communities. However, they frequently pay with their lives in a world where disputes over gold, unsafe mining pits, and armed attacks are common.
The Bono Regional Police Command described the shooting as a “heinous crime” and assured the public of an intensified investigation to identify and apprehend those responsible.
“The Command is committed to pursuing this matter to its logical conclusion,” the statement stressed.
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