Two people have been killed in separate shooting incidents linked to a dispute over the Nawara Mining Company concession at Nsuapemsu near Osino in the Eastern Region.
Eleven suspects, including Nawara Mining Company Managing Director Amuda Yussif Fuseini, a serving military officer, a former military officer and several company workers, have been arraigned before the Osino District Court.
The prosecution told the court that the first incident occurred on October 1, 2026, after military personnel stationed at the entrance of the mining company were allegedly attacked. Police subsequently arrested eight suspects and intercepted a Toyota Land Cruiser containing firearms and ammunition.
W.O.1 Ayamba Wilfred allegedly admitted ownership of a Smith & Wesson pistol and ammunition, telling investigators that he had been instructed to recruit people from Accra to provide security for a meeting at the mining site.
Later that day, another shooting was reported at Osino involving three other accused persons and two unidentified individuals. Two people, 21-year-old Elvis Nana Mintah and another man identified as Aziz, were pronounced dead at the Osino Clinic.
Police reportedly recovered four pump-action guns, a Smith & Wesson pistol, 14 machetes and a box of BB cartridges from the scene.
The 11 accused persons were granted self-recognisance bail and ordered to reappear before the court on November 4, 2026.
Defence lawyer Francis Polley told the court that the violence was linked to an ongoing dispute over control of the mining concession, which is being challenged in court.
The court also ordered the release of the impounded Toyota Land Cruiser after police took custody of its documents.
The bodies of the two deceased persons have been deposited at the hospital mortuary pending preservation and autopsy.
The incident forms part of a wider dispute between Nawara Mining Company and CMS & A&A PRO Mining Company over control of the concession.
Nawara maintains that its concession was taken over despite a court injunction issued on February 19, 2026, while CMS & A&A PRO Mining Company says its security taskforce has faced repeated attacks while protecting the revoked concession from illegal mining activities.
