A member of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team is battling for his life after being attacked by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
Report says, the officer sustained a deep machete wound to his knee during an ambush by the miners, who were reportedly armed with assault rifles and machetes.
The issue occurred when the team entered the reserve to halt fresh illegal mining activities.
Prior to their entry, they had captured footage of some of the armed individuals manning a barrier at the forest’s entrance.
But, upon venturing deeper into the reserve, they discovered that a group of the illegal miners had laid an ambush in the bush.
The yet-to-be-identified victim is currently receiving medical treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
The Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve has been a hotspot for illegal mining, which continues to pose severe threat to the country’s forest reserves and water bodies.
The Forestry Commission, in collaboration with security agencies, has been leading operations to end the destruction of these forest reserves.
Officials from the Forestry Commission are yet to comment on the attack and whether any arrests have been made.
Illegal Mining: 1 arrested, others flee as task force storms Subri Forest Reserve again
By Benjamin Aidoo|Akoma FM|Kumasi
