Forestry Commission Condemns Killing Of Senior Ranger During Anti-Poaching Patrol At Kakum

The Forestry Commission has condemned in strong terms the shooting to death of a staff member of its Wildlife Division, Mr Richard Otwey, a Senior Ranger of the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA), while on official duty during an anti-poaching patrol.

According to the statement, on Friday, August 21, 2026, four staff of the Kakum Conservation Area, namely Richard Otwey (Ranger), John Otsiwah (Chief Resource Guard), Benjamin Ahado (Resource Guard) and Stephen Arthur (Resource Guard), embarked on a three-day patrol from Briscoe 2 Camp near the Kruwa Community with Mr Otwey as the leader of the team.

At approximately 6:00 pm that Friday, the patrol team noticed an active poachers’ path and decided to establish an ambush.

Gunshots were later heard not far from the ambush point, indicating the presence of armed poachers in the area. At about 5:15 am on Saturday 22nd August 2026, the team observed two torchlights approaching their ambush position.

Mr Otwey alerted the other members, and they prepared to apprehend the suspected poachers.

The team raised an alarm, ordering them to surrender, but the suspected poachers fled in different directions. One of the suspects reportedly dropped a sack he was carrying, turned and shot Mr Otwey, who was closely behind him, to death.

The other suspect was apprehended and was later identified as John Mensah, a resident of Assin Betwease in the Assin South District of the Central Region. During interrogation, he identified the second suspect who shot and killed the ranger as Bukari Abudu, also from the same community.

The incident was reported to the Nyankomasi Police, who, together with the Park Manager and other Forestry Commission staff, proceeded into the forest to retrieve the body of the slain ranger.

The body was conveyed to the Abura Dunkwa Government Hospital mortuary, where it is being kept pending autopsy and further investigations.

A search in the area led to the recovery of two single-barrel shotguns believed to belong to each of the suspects, as well as a quantity of carcasses including five brush-tailed porcupines, two African giant rats, one Maxwell duiker, one snail, two Mona monkeys and one Olive colobus monkey.

Other items retrieved were a cooking pot, two sachets of tomato paste, a water bottle and two machetes.

The suspected shooter, Bukari Abudu, remains at large, and the Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the Forestry Commission is working to apprehend him.

The Commission disclosed that following notification of the incident, the Operations Director and Operations Manager of the Wildlife Division from the Head Office in Accra joined the Park Manager and staff of the Park to formally inform the family of the deceased ranger.

Describing the incident as painful, the Commission said Mr Otwey lost his life while serving the nation and protecting the invaluable natural resources of the Kakum Conservation Area, and extended its deepest condolences to his wife, children, family and colleagues. It also commended the patrol team for their courage and commitment.

The Commission noted that this is the third incident in 2026 where field staff of the Wildlife Division have been shot and/or killed by poachers while on duty.

It recalled that Mr Raphael Ganyo of the Kalakpa Resource Reserve was shot and killed by a poacher, while Mr Abukari Sumani was shot at the Gbele Resource Reserve and sustained severe injuries but survived after surgery.

Another officer was also kidnapped at the Bui National Park and was later found tied to a tree.

The statement also referenced the burning down of a forest protection camp accommodation at Babatokuma near Kintampo on June 9, 2026, by an irate mob, during which some staff were assaulted.

The Forestry Commission reiterated its call to government for clearance to recruit over 2,500 staff to augment its current strength, expressed appreciation to security agencies for their collaboration, and appealed to the judiciary for speedy hearings and stiffer punishments for forest offenders to serve as a deterrent.

It further called on forest-fringe communities to volunteer information on suspected illegalities to the nearest police station or Forestry Commission offices, and provided a toll-free line 0800355364 (MTN) for reports.

The Wildlife Division also reminded the public that the Closed Season, which runs from August 1 to December 1 each year, is still in force, during which there is a complete ban on hunting, capturing and killing of all wild animals apart from the grasscutter in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685).

Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/