The Upper East Region is embroiled in controversy surrounding its Regional Police Commander, Mr. Raymond Wejong Ali Adofiem, who is facing serious allegations of abusing his office to obstruct justice and target a legitimate small-scale miner.
A press statement issued by the “Concerned Youth Against Injustices in the Mining Sector in the Upper East Region of Ghana” on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in the Talensi District, accused Commander Adofiem of supporting illegal mining activities while persecuting Zongdan Boyak Kolog, popularly known as Master Pollo.
According to the Concerned Youth, Commander Adofiem has deliberately failed to provide security for Master Pollo to operate his Nalamtaaba concession, despite a High Court order granting Pollo the right to work. The group alleges that after Pollo secured an interlocutory injunction in February 2023 against encroachers, including Earl International Company Limited, the police commander actively frustrated his efforts to resume operations.
A petition filed by Pollo’s lawyers, Kulendi@Law Maalo Chambers, to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on June 5, 2025, details a series of alleged abuses. The petition states that Commander Adofiem declined to provide protection to Pollo, even after being presented with the court order. When Pollo engaged a private security firm, Sherlock Security Company, the commander allegedly sent them back to Accra, promising personal protection that never materialized.
The situation escalated on May 31, 2025, when Pollo, accompanied by police officers sanctioned by Mr. Adofiem for a worker registration exercise at his concession, saw his representatives beaten and arrested without cause. Adding to the gravity of the accusations, the Concerned Youth claim that the police planted an AK-47 rifle in Pollo’s house to incriminate him, despite him only possessing a legitimately registered pump-action gun.
Master Pollo was himself arrested on June 4, 2025, and reportedly denied bail without charges. The petition asserts this arrest was a “set up borne out of malice” and an abuse of power, stemming from a prior petition Pollo filed against Commander Adofiem where the commander allegedly assaulted Pollo and seized his pistol.
The Concerned Youth and Pollo’s legal team are urging the IGP to launch a thorough investigation into Commander Adofiem’s activities, asserting he is “dangerously destroying the region” by prioritizing personal interests over his duties. They demand that Nalamtaaba Enterprise be provided with adequate security to operate without interference.
The press statement also highlighted an earlier, allegedly misleading press conference by the Gbani Youth, which the Concerned Youth believe was orchestrated to distort facts and cover up the truth in the Master Pollo case.
In a strong show of discontent, the Concerned Youth announced plans for massive protests and demonstrations against Commander Adofiem’s actions by other youth groups in the region next week, demanding justice for Master Pollo and restoration of the rule of law in the mining sector.
