Tema Circuit Court frees 13 Ada Artisanal salt miners after 4year legal battle

After four years of legal proceedings, the Tema Circuit Court has acquitted and released 13 artisanal salt miners from Ada in the Greater Accra Region.

The miners had faced multiple criminal charges stemming from a longstanding dispute with Electrochem Ghana Limited over control of the Ada Songor Lagoon.

Presiding judge Agnes Opoku-Barnieh, a High Court judge sitting additionally as a Circuit Court judge, delivered the ruling on Thursday, May 29, 2025. She stated that the police failed to establish a credible case against the accused.

“You failed to prove your case. You were unable to link any of them to the evidence,” she said during the verdict. Repeating her position, she added, “You failed to prove your case. You were unable to link any of them [the thirteen accused] to the incident.”

The charges arose from an incident on October 21, 2021, when residents of Luhuor, a town in the Ada West District, confronted a police vehicle transporting two masked men along with two police officers. The residents, suspicious of the passengers whom they believed to be private security hired by Electrochem, demanded that the police disclose their identities. Tensions flared, sparking a confrontation that escalated into violence.

The following day, according to residents and local reports, police stormed the community in what appeared to be retaliatory action. They allegedly assaulted civilians, torched motorbikes, and arrested individuals who were not connected to the previous day's events.

The 13 artisanal miners were subsequently charged with 11 counts, including inciting a riot, unlawful assembly, and assault. For four years, they were compelled to attend court sessions in Tema monthly, traveling from Ada.

The legal clash stems from a broader controversy over the Ada Songor Lagoon. In 2020, the government granted Electrochem Ghana exclusive rights to mine salt in the lagoon. Local residents and traditional leaders opposed the deal, arguing it deprived indigenous artisanal miners of their traditional livelihoods. Many accused the company of overstepping its boundaries and encroaching on communal lands.

Tensions have since escalated into several violent confrontations between Electrochem's security forces and local communities. Among the reported casualties was Korletey Agormeda, who suffered gunshot wounds, and Noah Narh Dameh, Deputy Station Coordinator of Radio Ada, who died while pursuing a legal case against the company involving a defamation suit.

In the aftermath of the court ruling, Nene Anim Dadebom II, chief of Salom, described the acquittal as a moral victory for the people of Ada. Speaking to the media, he said the judgment had reignited the community’s determination to reclaim their rights over the lagoon.

“The criminal case is to frustrate us and to disintegrate us so that we may not have a united front to fight. But now that these are done, we hope to go back to the drawing board and way our way forward and see what we can do,” he said.

According to Nene Dadebom, traditional authorities are reviewing strategies to advocate for legislative changes that could return control of the lagoon to the indigenous people.

The ruling has been hailed by community members and human rights advocates as a step toward restoring justice and protecting the rights of local artisanal miners who depend on the Songor Lagoon for their livelihoods.