The inhabitants of Aboi fie, a town within the Samreboi community are living in fear as well built (Macho) men purported to be associated with a mining company known as Akonta Mining stormed the town shooting sporadically on Thursday September 29.
The incident which lasted several hours, saw one person sustaining a serious gun injury on the neck and two others including the assembly member of the area brutally being injured.
Eric Sekyi, a brother of the victim who sustained the gun injury confirmed the news to ATLFMNEWS and said some youth who work at Samartex Company, a company into the production of timber and plywood resorted to stop some heavy vehicles belonging to Akonta Mining from entering into the forest reserve where they earn their livelihood.
According to him, the Samartex Company which has served the Samreboi community for over 30 years, plants trees to replace the cut down ones to help replenish the lost tress in the forest in other to continuously feed the company.
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But “some of the youth realized that the Akonta Mining had extended it mining not only on the water bodies and the cocoa farms but into the forest. So destroying the forest means that the company is going to collapse thereby rendering the youth in the town jobless. And so the youth confronted the miners and announced their displeasure; basically preventing them from mining in the forest,” he said.
He further stated that “this led to a confrontation between the youth and the miners with the youth going to the mining site. However the so called ‘Macho Men who were not on site at the time the youth went there were informed of what had happened. The Macho Men subsequently besieged the Aboi fie community which is directly opposite to the Samartex Company with guns to revenge. They entered into the community and they started shooting and shouting “if you are a man come out”.
Mr. Sekyi said his brother who was on his way to work and not being part of the earlier misunderstanding was running for his life when he got hit by a bullet on the right side of his neck.
He currently receiving treatment at the hospital together with two others who sustained several degrees of injuries.
Assemblyman of the area, Mr. Thomas Andoh who is a victim of the brutality said in his quest to ensure peace during the disagreements, he was hit with a stick at his waist.
According to him, the attackers destroyed the bus belonging to Samartex Company while the youth also burnt two mining vehicles belonging to Akonta mining.
The case is currently under investigation.
Source: ATLFMNEWS
