What began as a damaging public allegation linking Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to illegal mining has ended in a dramatic retreat, with Jamal Konneh withdrawing the claims and apologising after the former Information Minister dragged him to court in a GH¢30 million defamation action.
Baba Jamal Konneh, the Deputy Eastern Regional Secretary of the NDC and Deputy Managing Director in charge of Operations at the Cocoa Marketing Company, has formally acknowledged that he ought not to have made allegations accusing Oppong Nkrumah of involvement in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The reversal follows months of controversy after Konneh allegedly claimed during a live discussion on Okay FM 101.7 FM on February 13, 2026, that Oppong Nkrumah had brought Chinese nationals into Akyemansa to engage in illegal mining activities that destroyed cocoa farms.
Oppong Nkrumah immediately rejected the allegations as false and damaging to his reputation and subsequently took the matter to the High Court in Accra, seeking a total of GH¢30 million in damages.
Faced with the legal action, Baba Konneh has now withdrawn the allegations and offered an apology to the MP.
In a written retraction dated June 26, 2026, Baba Jamal Konneh expressly acknowledged making the allegation during the Okay FM discussion and conceded that he should not have done so.
“Reference is made to a statement I made on Okay FM 101.7 FM during a discussion concerning cocoa pricing and illegal mining, popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’. In the course of my remarks, I alleged that Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah was involved in illegal mining in his district,” he stated.
Baba Jamal Konneh then made an unequivocal withdrawal of the accusation.
“I acknowledge that I ought not to have made those allegations. Accordingly, I hereby fully withdraw and retract any statement, words, reference, or impression arising from my remarks,” his statement said.
He further apologised to Oppong Nkrumah for the impact his remarks may have caused.
“I sincerely apologize to Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for any inconvenience, distress, or injury to reputation that may have arisen from my remarks,” Baba Konneh added.
The NDC figure indicated that his retraction was made in good faith and that he had taken steps to repeat the apology on Okay FM—the same platform on which the original allegation was made.
Baba Konneh subsequently returned to the radio station to retract the allegation and apologise, extending the withdrawal beyond the written communication sent to Oppong Nkrumah.
How GH¢30m Defamation battle started
The controversy escalated in February when Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, through his lawyer Daniel Martey Addo, filed a defamation action at the High Court in Accra.
According to the suit, Baba Jamal Konneh was alleged to have stated during the February 13 broadcast that Oppong Nkrumah brought Chinese nationals to Akyemansa to destroy cocoa farms through illegal mining.
Oppong Nkrumah maintained that the allegations were false and malicious, portraying him as being involved in criminal activity and corruption.
The former Information Minister argued that such claims were particularly damaging considering his position as a Member of Parliament, former Cabinet Minister and public official.
He told the court that the broadcast had allegedly caused reputational harm, public ridicule and an erosion of confidence among his constituents and other stakeholders.
Consequently, Oppong Nkrumah sought GH¢20 million in general damages for defamation.
He additionally demanded GH¢10 million in aggravated and exemplary damages, bringing the total monetary relief sought to GH¢30 million.
The MP also sought more than financial compensation.
His action requested an order compelling Konneh to issue a full, unconditional and prominently displayed apology and retraction carrying prominence comparable to that given to the original allegations.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah wanted the retraction to be aired on Okay FM, published in at least three nationally circulated newspapers, and disseminated on digital and social media platforms where the disputed allegations had appeared.
He further sought a perpetual injunction preventing Baba Konneh, his agents or persons acting on his behalf from repeating the allegations or publishing similar claims.
The suit also requested the removal of the disputed material from radio archives, websites, blogs and social media platforms under Konneh’s control or influence.
