Kakum Forest Reserve Wildlife Guard Shot Dead During Patrol Operation

A 58-year-old Wildlife Resource Guard, Richard Otwey, was fatally shot by an alleged poacher on Saturday, August 22, 2026, while on duty at the Kakum Forest Reserve in Ghana's Assin South District.

​Otwey, a staff member of the Forestry Commission’s Kakum Wildlife Division, was patrolling the Assin Kruwa section of the protected forest alongside two colleagues when they came across two unauthorized hunters.

​After police were alerted at roughly 8:25 a.m., officers dispatched to the site alongside Forestry Commission officials discovered Otwey’s body beneath a wawa tree, approximately 60 meters from the reserve's border. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

​Investigating officers retrieved a single-barrel gun, a spent cartridge, and footprint evidence from the scene.

​Initial police findings indicate that the patrol unit attempted to apprehend the hunters, identified as Bukari Abudu and John Mensah, for illegal hunting inside the reserve. During the encounter, Abudu allegedly pulled out a single-barrel shotgun and shot Otwey, who died at the scene.

​While both men attempted to flee into the dense forest, the remaining guards pursued them and successfully detained Mensah. Abudu evaded capture and remains at large.

​The victim's body was transferred to the Abura Dunkwa Government Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

​Chief Superintendent Edmund Agyemang Badu, the Central North Regional Crime Officer, confirmed the shooting and noted that Mensah is currently in custody assisting authorities with the investigation.

​"The Police can confirm the killing, but we cannot comment further as investigations are ongoing," Chief Superintendent Agyemang Badu stated.

​Law enforcement urges members of the public who may have details on Bukari Abudu's whereabouts to contact police immediately.