Frimpong was arrested after a video surfaced where he seemed to encourage miners to fight back against police officers and soldiers trying to extort money from them

The Parliamentary Candidate for Amenfi East Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Frimpong, has been released on bail by the Tarkwa Police Command in the Western Region.

The NPP parliamentary candidate was released on Wednesday evening after being invited by the police earlier in the day to provide a statement about his comments in a viral video.

Frimpong was arrested after a video surfaced where he seemed to encourage illegal miners to fight police officers and soldiers who may try to halt their operations under the anti-galamsey task force.

Frimpong has denied these claims, stating that he did not support illegal mining or urge miners to confront military personnel. He asserted that his remarks were misunderstood and taken out of context from a two-hour meeting with small-scale miners, emphasizing that his intentions were misinterpreted.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Wassa Amenfi East, Frederick Korankye, talking to the media criticized Frimpong's comments and called on miners to work with security officers to combat illegal mining in the community.

He advised those interested in mining to obtain the necessary legal documentation and permits in compliance with Ghanaian law.

"The government is ready to facilitate the documents for you to do your work according to the guidelines set out in the mining laws. So that is what I will plead with the miners. In fact, the land belongs to us so we cannot look unconcerned for them to destroy it the way it is," he stated.