Four Arrested in Kobro Forest Anti-Galamsey Operation Amid Alleged Political Interference
Four suspected illegal miners have been arrested following a joint anti-galamsey operation at the Kobro Forest in the Ashanti Region by the Ashanti South Police Command and Logist Group Company Limited.
The operation, conducted on Monday, led to the arrest of two alleged kingpins and two labourers reportedly engaged in illegal mining activities within the forest reserve.
Authorities also seized two excavators believed to have been used for the illegal operations, while several other mining equipment were destroyed during the exercise.
According to reports, the operation later faced alleged political interference after some executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), including the Jacobu Constituency Chairman, Jacob Bobbin, and the Amansie Central NADMO Coordinator, reportedly attempted to secure the release of the suspects and retrieve the confiscated excavators.
Speaking after the raid, the Operations Manager of Logist Group Company Limited, Seth Kofi Adjei, said the taskforce rejected the demands and insisted the suspects would face prosecution.
“We seized four machines operating illegally near the Oda River in the Kobro Forest. As we prepared to move them, some NDC executives and alleged galamsey operators arrived claiming ownership of the machines and asking that they should not be confiscated,” he stated.
Mr. Adjei stressed that the operation formed part of government-backed efforts to protect forest reserves and water bodies from destruction caused by illegal mining.
“We are enforcing government directives to stop this menace that is destroying our lands and water bodies,” he added.
He further called on government to shield anti-galamsey operations from political interference, warning that such actions continue to undermine the fight against illegal mining.
Logist Group Company Limited says it has reclaimed more than 500 acres of degraded land through its restoration partnership with government and security agencies.
