Kakum Forest Reserve guard shot dead by suspected poacher

Richard Otwey, a 58-year-old wildlife resource guard with the Forestry Commission, was shot and killed during a patrol in the Kakum Forest Reserve on Saturday, August 22, 2026. The incident occurred in the Assin Kruwa section of the reserve in Ghana's Central Region.

According to police investigations, Otwey and two colleagues encountered two men, identified as Bukari Abudu and John Mensah, who were allegedly hunting illegally within the protected area. During the attempt to apprehend the suspects, Abudu allegedly used a single-barrel gun to shoot Otwey in the chest, killing him at the scene.

Following the shooting, the suspects fled into the forest. While John Mensah was apprehended by the patrol team, Bukari Abudu remains at large. Police have recovered a spent cartridge, footprints, and a single-barrel gun from the scene. Chief Superintendent Edmund Agyemang Badu of the Central North Regional Crime Command confirmed the killing and stated that investigations are ongoing. Otwey's body has been moved to the Abura Dunkwa Government Hospital morgue for examination.