A member of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team is fighting for his life following an assault by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
The miners, who were reportedly carrying assault rifles and machetes, ambushed the cop, causing a major machete wound to his knee, according to JoyNews’ Erastus Asare Donko.
When the team went inside the reserve to stop new unlawful mining operations, the incident happened.
They had recorded video of some of the armed people standing guard at the entrance to the forest before they entered.
They found out, however, that some of the miners had set up an ambush in the jungle as they ventured farther into the reserve.
At the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, the unnamed victim is presently undergoing medical care.
Illegal mining has been prevalent in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve, posing a serious threat to the nation’s waterways and forest reserves.
Regarding the attack and whether any people have been arrested, authorities have not yet spoken.
