Two illegal miners, out of a reported 1,500 who had invaded the gazetted Densiri Forest Reserve in the Ahafo-Ano North District of Ashanti Region have died, after a reported heavy exchange of gunfire with the Forestry Commission (FC) Guards. Two others who sustained gunshot wounds are recuperating at the Tepa Government Hospital.
Information available to The Chronicle indicates that on that fateful day, Friday, November 10, 2023 the FC’s Guards, numbering about 32, went on an inspection tour in the forest, but came under attack after they set ablaze excavators and other mining implements which were being used by the illegal miners.
Confirming the incident to The Chronicle, Mr. Clement Amoh Omari, the Ashanti Regional Forestry Commission Director, disclosed to this reporter that the Rapid Response Team of the FC was deployed to the area, after they noticed that the Densiri Forest Reserve had been encroached upon by some people. The encroachers claimed they were mining under Community Mining.
“They claim where they are mining falls under Community Mining, meanwhile the place is a gazetted forest reserve”, he said.
According to Omari, prior to this deployment, the FC had engaged them to leave, because the place is a gazetted forest reserve, but they ignored the order.
“I personally went there last week, Monday, to tell them to desist from that. I went there with my District Manager to warn them to move away. In fact, when we went there, they were numbering about 1,500 people. We could not do anything than to advise them to leave.
I reported to the head office about what I had observed over there and they brought in these men to see whether they are complying with the directives that I gave,” he told The Chronicle.
Fast-forward to Friday, 10 November, 2023 when the Rapid Response Team arrived at the Densiri Forest Reserve, Clement Amoah told The Chronicle that the place was virtually deserted and that nobody was seen around.
But unknown to them, the illegal miners had laid ambush and started emerging from the bush after their equipment had been set ablaze.
“When they went there, there was nobody on site, not knowing they had hidden in the bush, so when they started setting ablaze an excavator and a generator at the site, the illegal miners started coming out from their hideout and attacking our people”, he stated
According to him, the FC Rapid Response Team had to defend themselves against attack, so they used their weapons to keep their attackers at bay.
“If somebody holds the gun and you attack him, the person will not sit down for you to attack him”, he said, adding that two people lost their lives through the skirmishes.
Responding to a question as to whether they have taken full control over the place, Omari indicated that security would be beefed up to secure the place, but for now, nobody is there for security reasons.
