Some personnel from the Kyebi Division of the Forestry Commission have allegedly set fire to four excavators suspected of being used for mining within the buffer zone of the Atewa Forest at Obuoho Fante, near Anum Apapamu in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region.

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The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday, February 13.

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Reports indicate that the officials arrived at the location around 9 a.m. for their routine inspection and interacted with the local assemblyman, who refuted claims that the concession owner was mining within the restricted buffer area.

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Despite this assertion, the officials allegedly made a phone call, after which they proceeded to burn the excavators before quickly leaving the scene to evade confrontation with agitated community members who had begun assembling.

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Speaking to Channel One News, the Assembly Member for Anum Apapamu North, Adu-Gyamfi Douglas, expressed concern over the situation, stating, “We want the government to investigate this so that we know who was behind it and how it happened. We sympathize with you, so calm down and leave the scene after this place because your life is important to us. We do not want any clash after this so that we can focus on the issue to get the root cause of it.”

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