A Tarkwa Circuit Court has remanded 12 suspected illegal miners accused of destroying a section of the Western Railway Corridor at Akyim-Bonsawere in the Western Region.

Presided over by Her Ladyship Ama Hathia Manu, the court ordered that the accused be held in prison custody pending further investigations and trial.

The suspects — identified as Dennis Adom, Alex Kofi Acquah, Kwame Simon, Isaac Arhin, Larri Koku, Lambon Moyisi, Ali Asoma, Nurudeen Kobina, Jude Azumah, Yendari Mombe, Jonathan Ayamdore, and Daniel Combat — were arrested on September 30, 2025, in an operation led by ASP De-Ben Eden Selassi, Operations Commander of the Western Central Regional Police Command.

They have been charged with three counts: engaging in illegal mining, conspiracy to commit a crime (to wit, illegal mining), and causing damage to public property.

The case has been adjourned to October 22, 2025.

The damage caused to the Akyim-Bonsawere stretch has disrupted potential rail haulage operations, as the Ghana Railway Company says manganese transport from Nsuta to the Takoradi Harbour cannot resume until the destroyed section is fully repaired.