The security and safety of infrastructure at the prestigious Akrokerri College of Education (Akrotco) is facing grave threats from rampant illegal mining activities and alarming encroachment of lands originally vested in the institution at its establishment.
In 1962, the late chief of Akrokerri, Nana Owusu Sampah, released the lands for the founding of what was then the Akrokerri Teacher Training College. Decades later, however, the institution’s territorial integrity and physical safety have been compromised as illegal miners have set up operations in critical areas within the college premises. These unauthorized mining sites are located between the Castle Block (male dormitory) and the ATTC Practice School on one side, and near the adjacent Asare Bediako Senior High School on the other, with operators extracting gold without any restraint.
Beyond the immediate danger posed by illegal mining, parts of the college’s allocated land are also being encroached upon by prospective developers, further limiting space for current operations and future growth.
Dr. Ben Otchere-Ankrah, a governance lecturer at Central University and an old student of Akrotco, has raised serious concerns about the inaction of the local traditional authority led by Nana Serwaa Bruwaa II, the Queen mother, and Nana Kofi Berchie, the Gyasehene and Regent, in addressing the crisis. Speaking on Okay FM last Thursday, he expressed dismay at the developments and called on the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) – headed by Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene, alongside the Regional Police Commander and the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) – as well as local security agents to take decisive action to protect the college’s lands for future infrastructural expansion.
In a significant response to the crisis, the Ashanti South Regional Police Command conducted an operation on Thursday, December 11, 2025, resulting in the arrest of 13 individuals engaged in illegal mining on Akrotco’s premises in the Adansi North District. The operation also led to the seizure of four water-pumping machines used in the illegal activities.
The suspects arrested are Christopher Kabiobayo (25), Eric Owusu (27), Emmanuel Opoku Awuah (21), Moses Terkpertey (29), Emmanuel Appiah Harrison (31), John Okrah (31), Shadrack Sarfo (23), Adu Desmond (26), Abdul Wahab (23), Elvis Abnce (33), Sarfo Shadrack (33), Nicholas Tetteh (30), and Darko Yaw (23).
Addressing journalists at Bekwai on Friday, December 12, 2025, DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, the Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, confirmed that all 13 suspects have been arraigned before court. He issued a stern caution to individuals involved in illegal mining and other criminal activities to desist immediately or face legal consequences. DCOP Nyaaba emphasized the command’s unwavering resolve to clamp down on such offences, stating that law enforcement personnel are actively working to combat criminal activities including illegal mining in the region.
