Small-scale miners in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region have warned miners in their jurisdiction against attacking security personnel.
This comes days after a standoff between some illegal miners at Bepotenten and the police, which left one person dead and another injured.
Spokesperson for the small-scale miners, Nhyiraba Osborne Tetteh, says the police have a duty to protect citizens, hence the need for collaboration.
“We warn all miners that security personnel are there to provide security for us, so we shouldn’t repeat this act again,” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Security Council has instructed the police to investigate the issue, as the small-scale miners commit to supporting the authorities with information and evidence necessary to aid the investigation.
“Our association is ready to collaborate with the police to find the perpetrators. We’re not in support of the act, and we’re not those who did it,” Mr Tetteh added.
In a viral video, some young men suspected to be illegal miners are seen surrounding a police vehicle, attempting to take a police rifle.
According to a statement from the police, they were trying to retrieve a pump-action rifle the police had seized from illegal miners, demanding documentation.
The statement revealed that the miner was shot and killed attempting to take the rifle, and the injured person had also tried to take the police rifle.
“We’re not in support of the criminal act; security personnel are our friends, and we’ve been with them for a long time,” Mr Tetteh said.
The group’s initial investigations suggest the perpetrators are young people from Dominase who often cross the Offin River to mine at Bepotenten.
“We assure the public that the perpetrators are from Dominase in the Central Region; they usually cross the Offin River to work in our jurisdiction. We’ll help the Ghana Police Service flush the attackers out of their hiding places,” Mr Tetteh added.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com