Teachers of Adiewoso Basic School whipped in military operation against galamsey suspects in Tarkwa-Nsuaem

Some teachers of Adiewoso Basic School in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region have allegedly been assaulted by men believed to be military officers during an operation linked to illegal mining activities in the area.

The incident, which occurred on Thursday, April 30, 2026, left several teachers traumatised following what is described as a brutal confrontation with the supposed military personnel.

According to the Wassa West District branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the men had earlier visited the area on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, reportedly at the invitation of a rubber processing company operating nearby. They were said to have been called in to clamp down on illegal miners operating around the company’s rubber plantation, which is close to the community.

That initial visit reportedly resulted in a clash between the security personnel and the illegal miners, after which the soldiers left the area and returned to their base.

However, residents say the situation escalated unexpectedly on the early hours of Thursday when the same men allegedly returned to Adiewoso and began assaulting residents, particularly men in the community.

In the process, three teachers of Adiewoso M/A Basic School were also allegedly beaten, including the headteacher and a visiting husband of one of the female teachers.

Speaking to journalists, the Wassa West District Vice Chairman of GNAT, Daniel Mensah, said the teachers attempted to identify themselves using their GNAT identity cards to prove they were not involved in illegal mining activities.

He said their explanations were ignored.
“You teachers should rather advise the town folks not to do galamsey in the rubber plantation. This is nonsense.”

According to Mr Mensah, the officers ordered the teachers to lie on the ground and whipped them, leaving them with injuries on their backs and other parts of their bodies. He added that they were also threatened with being shot if they resisted.

Following the incident, GNAT said it contacted the affected teachers to confirm what had happened before they proceeded to report the matter to the Abura Police Station. Medical forms were issued and the victims subsequently received treatment at a clinic in Abura.

Describing the incident, Mr Mensah said, “We see the action by the soldiers as very unfortunate, inhumane and barbaric. Why must everybody in the town suffer unjustly due to the fact that some people have already provoked the military?”

He warned that GNAT would be forced to take further action if authorities failed to respond within two weeks.

“We resolve that if within two weeks, leadership of GNAT does not hear favourably from the Regional Security Council, Management of the rubber processing company and Ghana Education Service (GES), the Association will advise itself,” he pointed out.