Four Illegal Miners Jailed 60 Months

FOUR ILLEGAL miners have been sentenced to a total of 60 months in prison by the Bekwai Circuit Court in the Ashanti region.

The court, presided over by His Lordship, Justice A.W.K. Nawurah, convicted each of them to a fifteen-month sentence for illegally entering the Jeni Forest Reserve near Manso Essumenja in the Amansie West District.

They were reportedly in the act of digging for gold when they were arrested by members of the Bekwai Forestry Guard.

The convicts include Hamidu Sulemana, 19 years, Yaw Appiah, 22 years, Yaw Aning, 28 years and Simon Nsoh, 40 years.

The prosecutor told the court that the activities of the illegal miners had caused wanton destruction to forest in the area.

He said the four had entered the forest a few weeks ago with their mining implement on the blind side of security agents in the community, but the forestry guards managed to apprehend and arrest them right in the act of digging for gold.

By: Kwadwo Essel