Nine soldiers on national assignment to Goaso in the Ahafo Region narrowly escaped being lynched by armed illegal miners after making arrests at an active galamsey site.
The soldiers had discovered the illegal mining operation at Bronikrom near Hwidiem, moved in to detain the site owner, and reportedly seized two vehicles, several mobile phones, and two pistols. They also burned down wooden structures and mining equipment belonging to the operator before the confrontation ensued.
The move did not go down well with some residents of the area numbering over 600, who stormed Hwidiem police station where the soldiers had gone to lodge an official complaint and demanded the immediate release of the two seized vehicles and requested the police to hand over the soldiers to to be disciplined.
The irate mob vandalised and smashed the windscreen of a Toyota Hilux pick-up with registration number AD 7191 -25 belonging to the NAIMOS team.
Upon hearing the volatile and developing situation at Hwidiem station, reinforcement from the Regional Headquarters was deployed to Hwidiem to help calm the situation.
On arrival, seven male and one female military officers were met at the charge office, whilst two others were at the CID offices under police protection, as the irate mob was getting agitated and uncontrollable, demanding the release of the ignition keys of the seized vehicles.
Realising that the situation was getting worse, coupled with the fact that it was getting late and more importantly, there was a power outage, which the mob could take advantage of to attack the station. It was agreed between the police, the military and the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem Zarikyi, Mohammed Bashiru, who had earlier spoken to the mob to exercise restraint but to no avail. The ignition keys of the seized vehicles be released to their owners to calm down the situation, which had reached its peak.
The Zongo Chief intervened by offering his personal Toyota Sequoia 4×4 to help escort the stranded soldiers to safety. However, during the rescue effort, the vehicle was attacked and vandalized by the angry mob, leaving its rear windscreen shattered and body panels damaged.
