Court remands three suspected illegal miners

The Enchi District Magistrate court presided over by his worship Eric Baah Boateng has remanded a Ghanaian and two Guinean nationals into police custody for illegally prospecting for gold in the Tano-Anwia Forest Reserve.

They are, Kwame Banyanta, Mohammed Kabal and Mohammed Kamara. Their pleas were not been taken and are to make their next appearance in court on Wednesday February 5.

Detective Police Inspector Joseph Kwadwo Agyare, prosecuting, told the court that the complainant Emmanuel Nkansah is a Range Supervisor of Ghana Forestry Commission, Enchi whiles the accused are residents of Wassa Agona near Asankragwa.

He said for some time now, activities of illegal miners have increased in the Tano-Anwia Forest Reserve.

The prosecution said despite tireless efforts made by the Commission to stop unauthorized persons from entering the forest reserve, these perpetrators continue to mine there.

He said at about 1800 hours, on December 25, last year, the complainant got a tip-off that some illegal miners were in the forest reserve prospecting for gold.

He said based on the information, the complainant mobilized his guards and proceeded to the scene and met the accused together who were busily working in the reserve with others now at large.

Detective Agyare said the complainant noticed that about a quarter of an acre within the vegetation has been devastated by the activities of these miners who were using pickaxes, shovels and metal detector machines in their operations.

He said when the miners saw the complainant and his team, they took to their heels but the team pursued them and managed to apprehend the accused while majority of them escaped.

He said the accused persons were handed over to the police with all the exhibits retrieved from them.

Source: GNA