1 dead, 2 in critical condition as Chinese ‘galamsey’ security shoots 3 teenagers at Sefwi ‘Abroad’

One teenager has been allegedly shot dead by Chinese illegal miners’ security at Sefwi Abrokofe popularly known as ‘Abroad’ near Sefwi Boinzan in the Sefwi Juaboso District of the Western North Region.

The shooting by the illegal miners have also led to the injury of two persons who are also teenagers and are in critical condition, receiving treatment at the St.John’s of God Hospital at Sefwi Asafo.

The sad incident happened in the wee hours of Wednesday, 23rd August.

One of the surviving teenagers was shot in the thigh whiles the other one was also shot in the back area.

The youth in the town angrily lay ambush and set excavators belonging to the miners ablaze.

Speaking in an interview with UTV News’ Western North Regional Correspondent Kwabena Dickson, father of the 17- year-old boy who was shot in the thigh, Mr Nketiah Barnaba’s explained that he had a call about the said shooting incident and was informed that, his son had been shot so he rushed quickly to ascertain how true it was.

Unfornately the 18-year-boy according Mr Nketiah passed on and the 16-year-old boy and his son were rushed to the Proso Kofikrom Clinic but were later transfered to the Sefwi Asafo St Johns of God Hospital where they are currently receiving medical attention.

“When we came here, they told us to go and take an X-ray at Sefwi Wiawso and we have done that, so we are waiting for what the Doctor will tell us,” Mr Nketiah the father of one of the boys who was shot in the thigh told Kwabena Dickson at the hospital.

“Since we came here, its only the Juaboso District Police Commander who has visited us and given us words of encouragement, aside that no one has come here to see how the victims are responding to treatment,” Mr Nketiah Banarba’s who is also a Unit Committee member told UTV News.

However, the Auntie of the deceased (name withheld) believes it was a deliberate attempt to kill her son.

“Personally I was at the scene when the Chinese guard shot the gun, he first shot it on the ground and later pointed it at my son and his friends and shot them,” she told UTV News’ Kwabena Dickson at her residence at Abrokofe.

She also explained that, after killing her son, the police also arrested his elder brother who tried to save his life, adding that the police accused him of inciting the youth in the town to destroy the properties of the Chinese illegal miners, and it took the Assemblyman of Boinzan, Mr Affum Kooko to grant him a bail.

“Since we returned to the house no one has visited us . . . we don’t have the financial muscles to challenge them, they want to subject us to injustice and we are therefore appealing to the Inspector General of Police and the high authorities to take up this matter and seek justice for us,” the mother of the deceased told UTV News.

Meanwhlie, the Assemblyman of Sefwi Boinzan electoral area, Mr Stephen Affum Kooko, has expressed his outmost disgust about the spate at which illegal mining has been taken over by chinese miners and their Ghanaian counterparts.

He added that school children are dropping out of school due to these invasion of illegal activities by these Chinese miners.

Mr Stephen Affum Kooko is therefore appealing to President Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Lands and security agencies at the national level to re-activate the ‘Operation Halt’.

Currently, Chinese illegal miners have taken over places like Sefwi Boinzan, Mafia, Sefwi Agyemandiem, Asempaneye, Abokofe, Kwawkrom, Bonsu Nkwanta among other areas but there seem to be no effort made to apprehend them in their illegal activities.