A detained Ghanaian activist who was the key organiser of the recent anti-illegal mining protest has been denied bail along with 11 others, despite being seriously ill.

Oliver Barker Vormawor appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including unlawful assembly and assault on a public officer.

Mr Vormawor will be held in police custody for two weeks and then appear in court. He has been treated at the police hospital for an undisclosed illness.

The Cambridge-educated activist organised the three-day protest to take action against illegal mining, known locally as “galamsey”, which has been blamed for polluting 60% of Ghana’s waters.

Some analysts have said that if the practice is not curbed, then the country could be importing water by 2030.

Last weekend, the group, calling itself Democracy Hub, clashed with the police in the capita, Accra, leading to several arrests.

Over 50 protesters have now been denied bail and are in police custody and prison.

The police accused the protesters of blocking roads, dismantling police barriers and obstructing traffic in the city.

There were reports that a pregnant woman named Vera Lamptey was among those arrested and is in police detention. But the police have denied this.

Many in Ghana have condemned the police, including opposition leader and presidential candidate, John Mahama, who has called out their heavy-handedness, describing it as an abuse of citizen’s rights to protest.

Ghana is the leading producer of gold in Africa but has struggled to deal with illegal mining in recent years.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has ordered the deployment of the police and the military to crack down on illegal miners. A similar approach was used in 2017 but did not solve the problem.

The country will be electing a new president on 7 December with Akufo-Addo standing down after two terms in power.