The Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining is calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to arrest and prosecute the owners of a mining site at
The Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining is calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to arrest and prosecute the owners of a mining site at Asumenya, near Manso Nkran for kidnapping, assaulting, and seizing the equipment of three staff members of The Multimedia Group.
The three staff members including Erastus Asare Donkor were attacked by armed men claiming to work for Edelmetallum Resources Limited in the Ashanti Region.
Over ten heavily armed men forcibly abducted the team, took them to an undisclosed location, subjected them to brutal beatings, and later abandoned them.
The team had been filming the destruction caused by illegal mining when the attack occurred.
Recently restored portions of the Asenanyo Forest Reserve have seen another wave of destruction, with streams feeding into the Ankobra River also being polluted.
An official complaint has been lodged at the Manso Edubia police station, urging authorities to investigate and take action.
Erastus Asare Donkor, is an award-winning journalist known for his activism against illegal mining and environmental degradation.
He told JoyNews that the Police have yet to make an arrest.
Convener of the Media Coalition against Illegal Mining, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey is demanding that the IGP acts on the matter.
“If the judiciary had been attacked if the Executive had been attacked, if the Legislature or the Judiciary had been attacked is this the attitude the police are going to show?” he quizzed.
Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu is even going a step further, demanding that the mining site’s owners be arrested for failing to comply with the Vigilantism and Related Offenses law.
“The owners must be the first to be taken in. In the facts of this case, they hired other persons to commit a crime for them, so they have to be taken in. I am seeing the Vigilantism and Related Offenses Act being applicable.”
The lawyer explained that “the police can’t be heard to say they are now looking for the thugs, themselves, no, invite the owners.”
“This is an open and shut. The owners have to be told to answer themselves. It’s not only about the thugs.”
Source: Myjoyonline
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