Axim galamsey gang leader Kwame Ato Asare allegedly beats up uncle for testifying against him

According to UTV’s Western Regional Correspondent, Charles Egyir, Kwame Ato Asare, who had been released on bail barely two weeks ago, visited his family head to confront him for the damaging information he provided during his arrest.

According to the reporter, the family head, who also happens to be his uncle, testified against Kwame Ato Asare during his initial arrest, labeling him as a criminal and accusing him of causing disturbances in the neighbourhood. Also, it is alleged that the said family head had accused Kwame Ato Asare of being involved in numerous rape cases.

“When the incident occurred, we all knew that Kwame Ato Asare had become a wanted person, and the police were searching for him. It was reported that he fled to Ivory Coast but later returned until his eventual arrest. During the two months that Kwame Ato Asare was in police custody, he appeared in court several times. His lawyer, Fiifi Buckman, requested bail for him, which was granted by the court, and coming Thursday will mark exactly two weeks since he was granted bail for his release.

“If we can recall when he was initially arrested, some journalists conducted interviews in one of the neighbouring towns. The head of the family (Abusuapanyin) testified that Kwame Ato Asare was a criminal who had been causing disturbances in the neighbourhood. The man also accused him of committing numerous rapes and provided a lot of information about Kwame Ato Asare.

“Upon hearing such news, Kwame was not pleased with what the man said, so when he was granted bail, he confronted the man and really beats him up, causing the man to sustain injuries.”

The UTV reporter further explained that some of the community members swiftly intervened, taking the injured family head to the hospital and promptly reporting the incident to the Axim Divisional Command which got him re-arrested and is currently in custody at the Sekondi Headquarters, where police are conducting further investigations into the matter.

“The community members took him to the hospital and reported the incident to the Axim Divisional Command, leading to the re-arrest of Kwame Ato Asare. currently, Kwame Ato Asare has been brought to the Sekondi Headquarters, and the police are still investigating the matter.

“So, the issue is that upon Kwame Ato Asare’s return from police custody, he has gone to beat the family head who testified against him and has been re-arrested. He didn’t go alone, he went with a young man named Idrrisu, who is well-known in Axim. Both of them have been arrested for beating the man,” he added.

It may be recalled that Kwame Ato Asare Ani, aged 21, was arrested together with two other suspects; Williams Kwofie aged 17, and Emmanuel Kojo Bronie aged 17.

The three suspects were arrested at Boinso, a community near Enchi in the Western North Region.

Kwame Ato Asare Ani was declared wanted after a video of him, together with some illegal miners, molesting a police officer at a galamsey site to the point where the police officer knelt down to apologise went viral. The police declared him wanted after he went into hiding.

A member of the Boinso community identified the suspects at a drinking spot in the community on Friday morning, April 21, 2023, and quickly informed the police who went to the spot to arrest them.