We’ll work with police to protect our turf

Five persons have sustained gunshot wounds at Ntotroso in the Asutifi North District of the Ahafo Region after clashing with police.

The five were part of a group of suspected illegal miners who stormed a mining concession belonging to Newmont in protest of the arrest of some of their colleagues, who had been accused of undertaking illegal mining activities at the concession.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ahafo Police Command, ASP Isaac Kwame Loh, said the protesting youth stormed the premises of Newmont and started attacking security officers at post by “opening fire on them.”

He indicated that several attempts to stop the “firing of their weapons” failed, compelling the police to launch a reprisal attack, leading to five persons being injured.

“They had weapons like cutlasses and some action guns and broke into the camp amidst firing of weapons. The police had cautioned, but they did not listen. They ignored the caution of the police and started firing into the camp, so police returned fire to demobilize the mob and as a result, five men got injured,” ASP Loh explained.

ASP Loh said the police are yet to make any arrest over the attack. The Director of Communications and External Relations for Newmont Ghana Limited, Agbeko Azumah, said “no employee of Newmont had been injured.”