After defying the president’s order to mine in a red zone, some illegal miners including suspected New Patriotic Party gurus have clashed with the youth of Manso Aboaboso, a town in Amansie South district of the Ashanti region.
This is the fourth time, the community has resisted attempts by unscrupulous Ghanaians to undertake illegal mining in the Oda River Forest Reserve with armed security guards but this time, it turned chaotic.
Scores of the youth were assaulted and injured, two Excavators burnt and two innocent young men arrested and detained for almost six days.
Investigation reveals that the community youth in their quest to prevent the illegal miners from operating in the Oda River Forest Reserve were attacked by the gallamseyers who in the process injured some of them, whilst the youth also retaliated.
In a different twist, the alleged NPP gurus involved in the illegal activities brought some police officers to the town and apparently arrested two innocent boys under the pretext that they had gone to cause mayhem.
Meanwhile, the arrest, unlawful detention and subsequent facilitation to jail the suspects is a calculated attempt by those behind this to cow the community for a breakthrough but the youth of Manso Aboaboso has vowed to die in protection of their heritage.
The community is calling for the immediate release of the suspects by the police and the arrest and prosecution of those behind the act including their Assemblyman and the DCE who are supporting the perpetrators.