On Monday, January 15, 2024, enraged residents of Sabronum, Ashanti Region took matters into their own hands, blocking and setting a truck ablaze amid suspicions that it was transporting an excavator for illegal mining within a forest reserve.

Allegedly supported by unidentified individuals with local authority backing, the excavator was brought to the forest, causing alarm among residents who feared potential illegal mining activities.

Resisting the truck's departure, the residents obstructed its path and set it on fire as a form of protest, expressing their determination to oppose any unlawful mining activities in the area.

During the confrontation in Sabronum, an individual named Bismarck Ankamaah reportedly faced an attack, sustaining severe machete wounds. He was accused by alleged thugs of inciting the arson against the truck transporting the excavator to the forest reserve.

Ankamaah, who suffered injuries to his leg, arm, and back, recounted the incident, stating that he received an announcement from the Assembly Member at around 2 am on Monday about the arrival of an excavator for mining purposes. As the truck arrived, residents gathered and blocked the road, leading to the subsequent incident.

“I was threatened by one of them. I later realized the vehicle was set ablaze, then my wife asked me to get my kids from her mother’s room. While at my wife’s shop, the thugs known as A Thousand Robbers pounced on me. As I struggled with them, they used machetes and sticks to beat me up and inflicted wounds on me,” Ankamaah explained.

The residents expressed concerns about potential pollution of a crucial water source for domestic and irrigation needs if illegal mining persists. They issued a warning of decisive action if the excavator remains within the community.

Despite government efforts, illegal mining continues to pose challenges in the Ano South East District, creating tension in the area, which is currently deemed tense.

“I was threatened by one of them. I later realized the vehicle was set ablaze, then my wife asked me to get my kids from her mother’s room. While at my wife’s shop, the thugs known as A Thousand Robbers pounced on me. As I struggled with them, they used machetes and sticks to beat me up and inflicted wounds on me.”