The death toll from a violent confrontation between residents of Manso Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region and operatives of the National Anti Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has climbed to six, while another 15 people have reportedly sustained injuries.
The deadly incident is said to have followed a disagreement over the transportation of excavators confiscated by the anti illegal mining task force, with tensions escalating after some community members and traditional leaders objected to the proposed route for moving the heavy machinery.
Residents and traditional authorities reportedly opposed attempts to transport the excavators through the community using a tarred road, arguing instead that low bed trailers should be deployed to convey the equipment and prevent potential damage to the road.
Following the confrontation, the Chief of Domi Keniago, Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II, called for justice for those who lost their lives and demanded accountability over the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter.
However, the precise sequence of events surrounding the shootings remains contested, as NAIMOS and sections of the community have presented differing explanations of how the confrontation unfolded.
In its account, NAIMOS stated that its personnel came under threat from an armed group allegedly attempting to prevent the movement of the excavators. The Secretariat maintained that its officers responded by firing warning shots, during which two members of the task force sustained gunshot injuries.
Residents and traditional authorities have disputed that explanation, questioning the circumstances under which the excavators were being transported and insisting that the machinery was not confiscated from Manso Keniago but was merely being conveyed through the community.
These competing accounts have yet to be independently verified, leaving important questions about the events preceding the shootings, the circumstances in which the fatalities occurred and the conduct of those involved.
The rising death toll and the number of injured persons have intensified calls for a thorough investigation into the confrontation, with the community’s demand for justice placing renewed attention on the need to establish exactly what happened during the operation.
