The Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, has explained his involvement in the recent clash between residents and NAIMOS task force at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.
In a statement issued on November 3, 2025, Mr. Addo said he felt compelled to respond to an unfortunate misunderstanding surrounding his role in the incident.
He stated that on November 1, 2025, while en route to a funeral, he received information about a tense situation at Hwidiem involving military personnel conducting operations at a gold extraction site.
He immediately contacted the MP for Asutifi South, Hon. Collins Dauda, who was outside the country, and was asked to visit the site on his behalf to ascertain the situation.
Mr. Addo said that upon arriving at Hwidiem with his constituency vice chairman and driver, he introduced himself to the security officers present and encouraged them to speak directly with Hon. Dauda by phone.
At the site, he saw some youth gathering, so he advised that they move to the police station to officially make a statement and hand over any suspects to the police to calm tensions.
He added that upon reaching the Hwidiem Police Station, they noticed that the main road had been blocked, preventing vehicles from moving. Together with officials from the military, police, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and other local security leaders, they remained at the police charge office while statements were taken.
The MP said he subsequently called the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem to assist in calming the situation, which the chief successfully did.
According to Mr. Addo, the Zongo Chief later volunteered to transport the military officers in his vehicle after realising that their pickup truck had been tampered with.
Mr. Addo reaffirmed his commitment to peace and collaboration with security agencies, stating that his intervention was intended solely to help defuse tension and prevent any escalation.
His clarification follows a police statement alleging that while the NAIMOS team was preparing to hand over suspects to the Hwidiem Police Station, the Asutifi North MP reportedly arrived at the scene with a group and demanded their release. When the request was denied, a mob forcibly freed the suspects and chased the NAIMOS team from the area. A group of about 600 people, allegedly incited by the MP, later besieged the Hwidiem Police Station, demanding the release of the arrested miners and vandalizing property.
