Chief of Manse, Nana Kwame Sobre II, and nine other suspects arrested for engaging in illegal mining.

The Forestry Commission has arrested the Chief of Manse, Nana Kwame Sobre II, and nine other suspects, for engaging in illegal mining. Seven Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) from the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the Forestry Commission on Wednesday dawn, carried out a swoop on illegal miners at the Manse portion of the Anhwiaso East Forest Reserve, near Diaso in the Bibiani Forest District of the Western North Region.

The operation was coordinated by the Forest Services Division Headquarters and the Rapid Response Unit.

The swoop was carried out to flush out illegal miners who have entered the Reserve with heavy machinery, and had destroyed the forest cover and polluted water bodies through their illegal mining operations. These illegal acts are alleged to be backed by some top political actors and traditional authorities in the Region.

The RRTs arrested 10 persons who gave their names as Nana Kwame Sobre II (Chief of Manse); Osman Shaibu; Nana Kwasi; Desmond Nkrumah; Abraham Donkor; Frank Mensah; Richard Kurofie; Patrick Ayambila; Abdul Salam and Rasad Nuoeeikaa.