Forestry Commission condemns killing of ranger at Kakum
The Forestry Commission (FC) has condemned the shooting and killing of a Senior Ranger of the Wildlife Division, Mr Richard Otwey, during an anti-poaching operation at the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA) in the Central Region.
Mr Otwey was shot by a suspected poacher in the early hours of Saturday while undertaking a three-day forest protection and anti-poaching patrol with three other officers from the Briscoe 2 Camp, near the Kruwa forest community.
In a statement signed by the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission on Monday, the commission said the incident occurred after the patrol team detected an active poachers’ path and mounted an ambush following the sound of gunshots in the area.
The patrol team comprised Mr Otwey, Chief Resource Guard John Otsiwah; and Resource Guards, Benjamin Ahado and Stephen Arthur.
According to the statement, at about 5:15 a.m., the team spotted two torchlights approaching their ambush position and prepared to apprehend the suspected poachers.
The suspects, however, fled in different directions after the officers ordered them to surrender.
The commission revealed that as one of the suspects fled, he dropped a sack he was carrying, turned around and fired at Mr Otwey, who was following closely behind him.
The suspected shooter subsequently fled into the forest, while the second suspect was apprehended and identified as John Mensah, a resident of Assin Betwease in the Assin South District of the Central Region.
During interrogation, Mr Mensah reportedly identified the alleged shooter as Bukari Abudu, also a resident of Assin Betwease.
The matter was reported to the Nyankomasi Police, who, together with the Park Manager and other officials of the Forestry Commission, proceeded to the forest to retrieve Mr Otwey’s body.
The body was subsequently conveyed to the Abura Dunkwa Government Hospital mortuary, pending autopsy and further investigations.
The Forestry Commission indicated that Mr Abudu remained at large, adding that the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the commission, was pursuing him.
The commission described the killing as a serious threat to the safety of personnel responsible for protecting the country’s forest and wildlife resources.
It disclosed that the incident was the third in 2026 in which field staff of the Wildlife Division had either been shot or killed by suspected poachers while performing their duties.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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