Two officers from the Ghana Forestry Commission’s Kwahu South division, tasked with protecting forest reserves, have been accused of damaging forests by extorting money from cattle owners for grazing and cutting trees for charcoal.
The assembly member for New Oworobong/Amartey electoral area, Hon. Kofi Nkrumah Asante, raised an allegation at the last general meeting held at Kwahu South Municipal Assembly Hall that some officers of the Ghana Forestry Commission are extorting a sum of fifteen thousand Ghana cedis (GHS 15,000) and cattle from some cattle owners in order to keep their cattle in the forest.
Following receipt of this information, the House directed the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Joseph Frimpong Nayo, to mediate between the assemblyman who made the claim and the Forestry Commission in order to establish the veracity of the allegation.
According to Hot FM journalist Isaac, who contacted one of the cattle owners named Labaran, whose boy was apprehended in the forest by the forestry taskforce and confirmed to myrepubliconline, the cattle owner confirmed that he had given an amount of fifteen thousand Ghana cedis and cattle to the forest guards in charge of the forest reserve.
Speaking with Mr. Nii Kwei Kussachin, the forestry commission manager for Kwahu division, he stated that he will not tolerate any sort of corruption and that an inquiry into the problem has begun. He stated that if the bribery accusation is proven to be accurate, he will bring the offenders to justice.
The assembly member for New Oworobong electoral area, Hon. Kofi Nkrumah Asante, added his voice and said the assembly should have interest in the said matter because every year, the money wasted on “Operation Cawley” is unbearable just to maintain peace between farmers and cattle owners.
He said the officers in question should be invited to the assembly’s Public Relations Complain Committee (PRCC) for further clarification.