The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 Parliamentary Candidate for Amenfi East Constituency, Ernest Frimpong, has been released by the Tarkwa Police Command in the Western Region. 

Mr Frimpong was released on Wednesday evening after the police took a statement from him regarding his comments in a video that has gone viral.

The candidate was arrested following the circulation of a video in which he appeared to urge miners to retaliate against police officers and soldiers who attempt to extort money from them. 

Ernest Frimpong has denied the allegations, asserting that he did not endorse illegal mining or encourage miners to fight military personnel. 

He claimed that his remarks were taken out of context from a two-hour engagement with artisanal small-scale miners and emphasised that his intentions were misrepresented.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive for Wassa Amenfi East, Frederick Korankye, has condemned Frimpong’s comments. 

He urged miners to cooperate with security officers as part of efforts to eliminate illegal mining activities in the community.

Mr Korankye emphasised the importance of following legal procedures for mining. He urged those willing to mine to obtain the necessary documentation and permits before undertaking such ventures in accordance with Ghanaian laws.

“The government is ready to facilitate the documents for you to do your work according to the guidelines set out in the mining laws. So that is what I will plead with the miners. In fact, the land belongs to us so we cannot look unconcerned for them to destroy it the way it is.

“So once a while, the military will come and then make sure that they do the right thing. At the beginning of every year, there are rampant armed robbery cases over here, and when it happens like that, we rely on these security services to come and assist, so we cannot be attacking them and then later come and call them to come and help us," he said.