What began as whispers of an illegal mining hub hidden in the forest has now been unveiled as a deeply entrenched and dangerous underworld, one that thrived on exploitation, violence, and impunity.
The Western Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Nana Poku Bosompim, has shed light on the disturbing realities within Abrewa Ne Nkran—a galamsey settlement that housed over 10,000 people, many of them from across West Africa.
“There were around 10,000 people living there,” Nana Poku Bosompim said. “But it wasn’t a community. It was more like a slum — think Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Unlike a typical community, Abrewa Ne Nkran was governed not by laws or local authorities but by a brutal private militia called ‘the Bulldogs’.
Their reign went largely unchecked as they imposed their own rules, controlled access to mining areas, and ruled with firearms.
“The Bulldogs were running the show,” Bosompim explained. “They were armed with rifles and pump-action guns. They imposed a daily toll on illegal miners.
Some miners paid GH₵200; others paid GH₵500. It was like a cartel running its own business. They even chased away licensed mining companies. It wasn’t just men mining either; it was a whole system of young people being recruited into the trade.”
At the core of this unregulated system was a network of exploitation so vast and sinister that even officials were taken aback by its scale. Among the countless stories emerging from the settlement is that of a young girl trapped in a cycle of forced sexual servitude.
“Every day, she was forced to sleep with between five and ten men,” he shared. “When she finally paid off the money, they threw drinks on her and told her she had graduated and could now become a madam herself. It wasn’t a ceremony; it was just a small celebration in the forest.”
Bosompim confessed that while authorities had some knowledge of the area’s illegal activities, the reality was far worse than anticipated.
“We knew about it, but we didn’t realize how deep it went,” he admitted. “The Bulldogs had established a government of their own. We couldn’t even enter the area without military backup.”
Locals referred to the area ominously as “Jerusalem in the forest,” but for those who lived there, it bore no resemblance to a holy sanctuary.
“But there was nothing holy about what was happening there,” Bosompim stressed.
The revelations, shared during an interview on The KeyPoints with Alfred Ocansey, have raised fresh concerns about the extent of illegal mining in Ghana and the unchecked criminal systems growing around it.
