A 58-year-old Wildlife Resource Guard with the Forestry Commission, Richard Otwey, has been killed in an alleged poaching attack at the Kakum Forest Reserve in the Assin South District of the Central Region.
Otwey was reportedly carrying out a routine patrol with two other wildlife guards on Saturday, August 22, 2026, when the team came across two men allegedly hunting illegally inside the protected forest.
The encounter took place at the Assin Kruwa section of the reserve, where the guards are said to have attempted to apprehend the suspected poachers.
According to preliminary police investigations, one of the suspects, identified as Bukari Abudu, allegedly pulled out a single-barrel gun and fired at Otwey at close range.
The gunshot struck the wildlife guard in the chest, killing him instantly.
Police were alerted to the incident at about 8:25 a.m. and later visited the scene alongside officials from the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
Otwey’s body was found lying beneath a wawa tree, approximately 60 metres from the reserve’s boundary. Investigators also recovered a spent cartridge, footprints and a single-barrel gun believed to be connected to the incident.
Following the shooting, the two suspects reportedly escaped into the forest as the remaining patrol guards pursued them.
The pursuit resulted in the arrest of one of the suspects, John Mensah, who is currently in police custody assisting with investigations.
His alleged accomplice, Bukari Abudu, however, managed to escape and remains at large as police intensify efforts to locate him.
The remains of Otwey have since been deposited at the morgue of the Abura Dunkwa Government Hospital for preservation and further examination.
Central North Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Edmund Agyemang Badu, confirmed the incident but declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
“The Police can confirm the killing, but we cannot comment further as investigations are ongoing,” he said.
Police are appealing to members of the public with information on the whereabouts of the fleeing suspect to assist investigators in securing his arrest.
The incident has also raised concerns over the risks faced by wildlife and forestry personnel who patrol protected areas to combat illegal hunting and other activities that threaten Ghana’s forest resources.
