25-year-old man allegedly assaulted over fake gold at Mfante-Asikam

A 25-year-old man, Ibrahim Hayford, has alleged that he was severely assaulted by a group of men armed with cutlasses, sticks and other weapons at Mfante-Asikam-Ashiaman in the Ahafo Ano North Municipality of the Ashanti Region. Ibrahim, a resident of Subriso, said the alleged attack occurred after a substance he and his brother, Ishmael, took to a local gold-refining centre at Asikam was found to be fake gold. According to him, the two brothers believed the substance was genuine gold and sent it to the facility for processing. However, after workers allegedly determined that it was not gold, they accused Ibrahim of being an armed robber and turned on him. He said his brother managed to flee the scene, but the workers allegedly seized him, covered his head with a sack and subjected him to severe beatings. Ibrahim further alleged that the owner of the refining machine, identified only as Coach, struck him on the head with a large stick before allegedly pulling a gun and threatening to kill him. The victim, who is seeking justice, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Ashanti Regional Police Command and the Tepa Police Command to investigate the incident and ensure that those responsible are brought to book. He said the matter had already been reported to the Tepa Police Command but expressed concern that no arrests had been made and no meaningful follow-up had taken place. Ibrahim is therefore calling for a thorough investigation, insisting that the alleged assault and threats to his life must not be ignored.