A trotro mate has shared his traumatic experience with GHOne, detailing his wrongful detention during the recent anti-galamsey protests that swept through parts of Ghana.
The protests, aimed at addressing the rampant illegal mining that has devastated local communities and the environment, have sparked a wave of arrests, and unfortunately, he became an unintended victim.
“I was just passing by, and suddenly I found myself in a nightmare,” the young man recounted. He explained that he was not actively participating in the protests but happened to be nearby when he shouted “Choo Boi,” a rallying cry popular in Ghana.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just a phrase I’ve heard and said before.”
This seemingly innocuous moment quickly escalated into a distressing ordeal. The young man was confronted by law enforcement and taken into custody, eventually ending up at Nsawam Prisons. “I told them I wasn’t part of the protest, but they didn’t listen. They just saw me as part of the crowd,” he lamented, his voice heavy with emotion.
His experience in custody was nothing short of brutal. He described how, when he asked to use the restroom, he was met with violence. “They slapped me and beat me severely for no reason. I was just trying to explain myself,” he said, shaking his head as he recounted the humiliation and pain he endured.
