A member of the Rapid Response Team of the Forestry Commission have been attacked by unidentified armed persons in the Offin Shelter belt Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
The victim, Fuseini Sulemana, was ambushed and severely injured while on an operation to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the reserve.
Abraham Essel, the District Manager of the Forest Services Division in Nkawie, told Citi News that the team had mobilized on Sunday, March 23 to investigate reports of illegal mining near the Botrampa community in Compartment 5 of the Offin Shelterbelt.
While patrolling Apempeh, another hotspot for illegal mining, they encountered a barricade manned by armed individuals.
“As the team attempted to enter the forest, they were ambushed. In the confrontation, one officer, Fuseini Sulemana, who was documenting the incident, was slashed on the knee with a machete, leaving him critically injured,” he added.
Sulemana was immediately rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for emergency treatment.
“The issue is that the task force is not ready to disclose the identity of whoever has employed them. The task force members are just security guards; the actual people mining are on the field. However, the task force will not allow access to the mining site to get further information. The best they can do is request your number and tell you that their bosses will call you,” Essel added.
He further revealed that Sulemana would require two surgeries to stabilize his condition.
“His condition is stable, but according to the orthopaedic team managing the case, it is a medical emergency, so they have to undertake two surgeries before they can make him stable,” he explained.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the attack, but no arrests have been made yet.
