Calm Returns To Obuasi After Series Of Violence

The Obuasi Police Divisional Commander, DSP Kwabena Acheampong has indicated that calm has returned to Obuasi following scenes of violence that broke out on Wednesday.

According to him, security has been beefed up in the affected areas with the deployment of security officers.

The gold mining town of Obuasi in the Ashanti Region was thrown into a state of anarchy Wednesday afternoon when armed illegal gold miners, brandishing guns and firing sporadically, went on rampage.

The situation has caused many residents to flee the town for their dear lives as well as businessmen and organisations were forced by situation to close their shops and offices to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

The illegal miners are alleged to have destroyed two vehicles belonging to AngloGold Ashanti, and also threatened to kidnap the children of the miners of the company any time they attended school.

The threat to kidnap the children of AngloGold workers forced the authorities to close down the company's basic school in the area.

According to reports, the school would remain closed until the police brought the situation under control.

The illegal miners are said to have been angered by the presence of National Security operatives who closed down some mining pits at Kwabrafoso and other areas where the illegal miners mined.

As part of the measures to flush out foreigners carrying out illegal mining in Obuasi and its environs, National Security personnel besieged Obuasi early on Tuesday and arrested some Chinese galamsey operators and closed down a number of pits which were being mined illegally for gold in the concession of AngloGold Ashanti.