Nine people have been arrested at the Saaman Joaso portion of the Atewa Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region. The nine individuals, who ranged in age from 15 to 45, were detained on Tuesday night by forest rangers in the Kyebi Forest District. The nine have been turned over to the Kyebi District Police Command for investigation and potential prosecution, according to Mr. Emmanuel Antwi, district manager for the Kyebi District Forestry Area.
Mr. Emmanuel Antwi made a hint that the nine suspects may have destroyed roughly 0.5 hectares of the Saaman Joaso section of the forest. In the Atewa Forest Reserve, there have been two arrests in the last five days. Over the weekend, ten persons were detained while actively mining in the forest. The 10 individuals detained over the weekend have not yet made their court appearances.
Atewa Forest Reserve, which covers 17,400 hectares and is designated as a Globally Significant Wildlife Area, continues to be plagued by illegal activities that endanger the biodiversity there. The Forestry Commission, according to Mr. Emmanuel Antwi, has conducted a number of community dialogues to emphasize to locals the need to stop illicit mining and lumbering in the forest, but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
In order to serve as a deterrence for others, he wants the Ghana Police Service and Attorney General Department to facilitate the legal proceedings against the offender.
