The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) has expressed concern over what it describes as the slow prosecution of persons implicated in the killings and attacks on Forestry Commission officers in the line of duty.

The Institute says the apparent lack of visible progress in some of the cases risks creating a culture of impunity and could encourage further attacks on forestry personnel.

Its concerns follow a series of reported incidents involving attacks, injuries, intimidation, armed confrontations and destruction of Forestry Commission property, including the recent killing of a Senior Park Ranger at the Kakum Forest Reserve in the Central Region.

On Saturday, August 22, 2026, a wildlife patrol team at Kakum was reportedly attacked by two men suspected of engaging in illegal hunting in the Assin Kruwa area of the conservation area.

A Senior Park Ranger, identified as Otwey, was shot in the chest and died at the scene.

The two suspects have been identified as Bukari Abudu and John Mensah, with John Mensah currently in custody at the Central Regional Police Command.

According to GIF, the Kakum incident is one of five cases recorded over the past two years involving violence against forestry officers and facilities.

The Institute said it was gravely concerned about what it described as an alarming escalation in violent attacks, armed confrontations, intimidation, invasions and destruction of property directed at Forestry Commission personnel.

Although suspects in some of the cases have been arraigned, GIF says their prosecution has progressed slowly, raising concerns about access to justice for bereaved families and the protection of officers who continue to perform their duties.

“While GIF recognises that criminal investigations must follow due process and that suspects are entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent court, the Institute is concerned about the apparent lack of publicly visible progress in some cases involving serious attacks against Forestry Commission personnel,” the Institute said.

GIF President, Dr Abukari Nantogmah Attah, who signed the statement, said repeated attacks without visible justice could embolden others to engage in similar illegal activities.

“When the officers are attacked repeatedly and the perpetrators are not visibly brought to justice, the silence can be interpreted by other offenders as permission. That perception is dangerous and must be addressed,” the statement said.

The Institute warned that the incidents should not be viewed merely as attacks on individual officers.

According to GIF, such attacks constitute an affront to the authority of the State, the rule of law and efforts to protect Ghana’s forests and wildlife.

The Institute is therefore calling on the relevant security and prosecutorial authorities to expedite investigations into attacks on Forestry Commission personnel and facilities.

It also wants persons against whom sufficient evidence exists to be prosecuted in accordance with due process.

“No person, group, company or politically connected interest should be above the law,” GIF said.