The people of the Adumasa community of the Atwima-Mponua District, in collaboration with the Forest Service Division of the Ghana Forestry Commission, in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District, have arrested 13 suspected illegal miners in the Jimira Forest Reserve.
The suspects, Daniel Bafaabu, Kofi Dagarti, Mohammed Iliasu, Stephen Arthur, Alhassan Moro, Solomon Adoba, Emmanuel Vorsah, Gideon Jamaa, Fuseini Miro, Simon Tetteh, Appiah Kubi, Iddrisu Osman and Kwabena Adosu were apprehended excavating the forest reserve, an extension of the Forest Service Division at Adumasa.
They were arrested while engaging in illegal mining with pickaxes, shovels and a handy gold-searching machine in the Jimira Forest Reserve, which is currently under afforestation management by 2IIs Company Limited (a private management) through a public-private partnership (PPP).
The suspects have since been remanded into police custody by the Nkawie Circuit Court, presided over by His Lordship Robert Addo and would reappear in court on August 6, 2024.
Mr. Abraham Essel, District Manager of the Forest Service Division, Atwima-Nwabiagya District, told The Chronicle that for some time now illegal miners have been operating in a part of the reserve that has been allocated to a private plantation developer, hence the collaboration between the community, the division and the private developer to put measures in place to stop their activities.
Mr. Essel said the suspects, who are not natives of the community, were arrested on July 18, 2024 with the assistance of the Adumasa community members.
Explaining further, Mr. Essel indicated that the suspects, numbering about 40, usually come into the forest reserve via unapproved routes at night, armed with weapons.
He commended the people of Adumasa for their involvement and assistance in arresting the suspects and also protecting the forest reserve, adding that they are worthy of emulation by other communities dwelling on the fringes of forest reserves in the country.
The forest manager assured that forestry personnel would not relent in their efforts to protect the forests from activities of illegal miners in the communities.
Mr. Essel expressed the appreciation of the Chief Executive of the Ghana Forestry Commission, Mr. John Allotey, to Amangoase-Adumasa for their commitment, involvement and support of the Adumasa community in protecting the forest reserve.
He announced that a delegation from the Forestry Commission will be sent to make a presentation to the community on Friday, August 26, 2024.
Meanwhile, Mr. Benjamin Gyedu, Concession Manager of 2IIs Company Limited, has also recounted the menace of the operations of the illegal miners whose activities endangered the growth of the trees.
Mr. Gyedu bemoaned that their activities were detrimental to the growth of the trees and needed to be restrained else investment in the plantation projects would come to naught.
From Oswald Pius Freiku, Nkawie
