Obuasi Municipal Security Council deploy more police to flush out illegal miners

The Obuasi Municipal Security Council has deployed more police officers to protect AngloGold Ashanti concessions following the re-emergence of illegal miners.

The Communications Director of AngloGold Ashanti, John Owusu died at hospital after he was run over by one of the company’s vehicles during a swoop by AGA officials and police.

Illegal miners numbering about 1, 500 are said to have thrown stones at Anglogold Ashanti officials and 13 police officers who accompanied them during the operation.

Mr. Owusu in an attempt to flee from the scene is said to have been run over by one of the seven vehicles used in the exercise.

Though the number of police personnel deployed is not readily available, chairman of the security council, Kwasi Ofori-Agyemang Boadi told Nhyira FM the council has deployed permanent police officers at some identified spots where the illegal miners have been operating.

“Municipal Security Council and the contingent of the policemen that we have dispatched there have identified some red spots. There’s a place called Y-Junction, there’s a place call Curve and there is an abandoned Shaft called Cote Dor. We have stationed a police team there right in front of Cote Dor gate. They are going to be there, 24-hours constant. Beyond that, we are doing constant police patrols along the hotspots that we have identified,” Mr. Ofori Agyemang has said.

The Municipal Security Council is proposing the rebuilding of the wire fences destroyed by the illegal miners at the Cote Dor whilst the Council engages the unemployed youth in a move to dialogue with them.

“Going forward, we have identified that some of the wire mesh that were destroyed and lying there; we are trying to encourage them to get their contractor to quickly re-fence the area so that it will not create any avenue for intrusion," he explained.

"The whole of last night I was going around from community to community trying to engage my youth and get them to understand the implications of any kind of intrusion on the concession of Anglogold Ashanti”. Mr. Ofori-Agyemang Boadi revealed.