The Enchi District Magistrate court has remanded two Guinean nationals into police custody for engaging in illegal mining in the Tano-Ahwia forest reserves near Asantekrom in Aowin Municipality.
The accused are Dumiyah Kamiyah Senior, 21 and Dumiyah Kamiyah Junior, 20.
They have been charged for illegal mining, entry of a forest reserve without authority and conspiracy to commit crime to wit mining.
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Their pleas were not taken and they would reappear before the court on July 20.
Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ebenezer Anim Ofori told the court that the complainant, Amofa Takyi Simon, the Range Supervisor in charge of the Forestry Commission’s department in Enchi.
He said the accused are farmers and residents of Wassa Dankwa near Asankragwa.
According to ASP Anim Ofori, for some time now, the Forestry Department in Aowin Municipality has detected that illegal miners were destroying the Tano-Ahwai forest reserves with their unauthorized activities.
He said based on the information the Forestry Monitoring Team some investigations to get hold of the perpetrators.
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The Prosecution said on Saturday July 7, at about 1200 hours the team led by the complainant had a tip-off that some people were mining in the Tano-Ahwia forest reserves with a gold detector machine.
The prosecution said when the team proceeded to the place they found the accused with a gold detector machine and two shovels.
He said they were arrested and handed over to the Enchi police together with the exhibits.
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ASP Anim Ofori said the police were still conducting investigation into the matter and therefore prayed the court to remand the accused to enable Police to complete their investigations.