"National Security Men" busted for Mining in Atiwa Forest

Akyem Akanteng residents on the early hours of Tuesday, May 4, 2021, have allegedly outbursted "National Security" men, mining illegally in the Atiwa forest of West Akyem Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The Assemblymember of Akentang electoral area, Honourable Henry Owusu Kesse on phone narrated to William Akwaboa, that there has been illegal mining in the forest over the past month by gangs purported to be "National Security Operatives" and other illegal miners from Obuasi, and other parts of the country.

Adding that some alleged National Security Operatives are invading the forest reserve with V8s, 4wheel drives, seizing gold from other miners and mining in other parts of the forest themselves on weekly basis.

He lamented that there have been an alleged discovery of huge gold in the Atiwa forest and this has attracted a lot of illegal miners to always come in to search for it.

The community together with the West Akyem Municipal Security Council has been able to clamp down on them many times and early Tuesday morning when these gangs, purported to be operatives of the National Security sneaked into the Atiwa Forest to allegedly mine gold.

The Assemblyman said, barely a week ago, a group of armed men in Tundra Vehicle led by one Faisal who claimed to be a member of national security from Jubilee House invaded the community and seized numbers of gold gathered by the illegal miners amidst patternless gunshot and arrested some of the illegal miners.

Honourable Owusu Kesse retreated, that while they were engaging with the “National Security Operatives “, another team led by one Barfuor Asare, who also claimed to be chairman of Small-Scale Mining at the Presidency arrived. He revealed that the national security team helped them to bolt with the gold and the Tundra when the Chiefs attempted to engage both groups about their mission.

"Fortunately, due to this previous experience by the residents of Akentang, the youth, and all opinion leaders, this time deflated the tyres of the V8 Tundra, as well as the 5 other Land Cruiser Prado vehicles, a way to prevents these purported National Security Operatives from running away for the second time in a week.

"The entire youth shrank away from the blows of the whip to avoid gunshots.

"We had already informed the Forests Guards and the police before these purported national security men tried to inquire from the community who deflated the tyres of their cars, they were outbursts, arrested by a team of police, and forests guards and the youth to Kade police station.

The Divisional Police Command is yet to confirm the identity of these purported National Security men.

William Ofori Akwaboa, Eastern Regional Correspondent