A broadcast journalist with Angel FM/TV, Kwadwo Baffour Atuahene, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to declare a state of emergency following the tragic military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight top government officials on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
Speaking during a breaking news segment on Angel FM with host Kwadwo Dickson, Mr. Atuahene linked the fatal crash to the ongoing menace of illegal mining—popularly known as galamsey—which he described as a greater national threat than even the protracted conflict in Bawku.
“The President should use this as an opportunity to declare a state of emergency because of galamsey,” Atuahene stated. “This menace is more dangerous than the Bawku conflict.”
He emphasized that while the Bawku conflict is largely regional in scope, illegal mining has become a widespread, national crisis with far-reaching implications, including threats to national security, environmental destruction, and now, the apparent loss of high-level officials.
Atuahene warned that without decisive action, including a formal state of emergency, efforts to eliminate illegal mining will remain ineffective.
“If the President does not declare a state of emergency over these deaths, nothing meaningful can be done to stop galamsey,” he reiterated.

