By Grace Zigah
A 58-year-old Wildlife Resource Guard with the Forestry Commission, Richard Otwey, has been shot dead during a patrol operation at the Kakum Forest Reserve in the Assin South District of the Central Region.
Otwey, who was attached to the Kakum Wildlife Division, was reportedly conducting a routine patrol with two other forestry guards when the team encountered two men suspected of hunting inside the protected forest.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the Assin Kruwa portion of the Kakum Forest Reserve.
According to the information available, the patrol team came across the suspected poachers while carrying out their duties within the reserve. It was during the encounter that one of the suspected poachers allegedly fired a shot, hitting Otwey.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police at about 8:25 a.m., prompting officers to proceed to the scene together with officials from the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
Upon reaching the location, the team reportedly found the body of the 58-year-old guard lying beneath a wawa tree, approximately 60 metres from the boundary of the forest reserve.
Otwey had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the information available.
