Miner remanded over axe attack that left colleague dead
The accused, Benjamin Boakye, did not enter a plea when he appeared before the court. He is due back on 12 May 2026 as investigators await legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office.
A district court at Toase has remanded a 27-year-old man into prison custody over the death of a fellow illegal miner following a violent confrontation in Esuowin.
The accused, Benjamin Boakye, did not enter a plea when he appeared before the court. He is due back on 12 May 2026 as investigators await legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office.
According to the prosecution, the case grew out of a grudge that had been building for months.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Frank Acheampong told the court that both Boakye and the deceased, Prince Tagoe, were illegal miners living in the Amansie West District. Trouble is said to have started in November 2024, after Boakye lost his job and came to suspect that Tagoe was behind his dismissal.
Police say that suspicion led to repeated quarrels between the two men.
The fatal incident, the court heard, happened on 10 December 2024 at a chop bar, where another argument broke out. During the dispute, the deceased is said to have threatened Boakye with a pair of scissors.
The prosecution says Boakye then armed himself with an axe and attacked Tagoe.
The injured man was taken to the Esuowin Health Centre, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
After the incident, Boakye allegedly went into hiding and remained away until 11 March 2026, when police arrested him at a hideout in Esuowin.
The matter was heard before Robert Addo, with the prosecution indicating that investigations are still continuing.
