We have no hand in Atiwa deaths - Operation Vanguard

The national task force on illegal mining has described as untrue, reports claiming security forces have gunned down four illegal miners.

"I can say emphatically that the cause of those deaths has nothing to do with Operation Vanguard activities", head of the task force Col. William Agyapong told Joy FM Super Morning Show, Monday.

Bodies of Iddrisu Usiff, 38 Charles Osei Amponsah, 25 and two others identified only by their first names - T.T and Alhaji - were found Sunday, in a shallow river.

According to the leader of the search party that found the bodies, Kwasi Nyarko, the four were hired to a mining site at Akyem Akukuso to tow away some mining equipment Saturday night but did not return.

Some angry residents allegedly prevented Kwabeng Police from conveying the bodies to Kibi Government Hospital.

He said officers under Operation Vanguard have not been to Akyem Akukuso, a mineral-rich town in the Atiwa District of the region where the incident reportedly happened.

He explained, the joint military and police force has not been on any night operations as was reported to be the case in the events leading to the death of the four miners.

"In the Eastern Region for the past week, we have not conducted any operations in the night", he disclosed.

He said the operations of the task force are visible and identifiable. "We don't operate in the dark; we come out in full force", the Colonel said.

The government commissioned Operation Vanguard task force two weeks ago to scale up the fight against illegal mining in mineral-rich sites in the Ashanti, Eastern, and Western Regions.

The Akufo-Addo government has vowed to stamp out the illegal mining activities that have destroyed water bodies and entire ecosystems. Read Full Story