Military officers protect Chinese miners, beat journalists for filming

An investigative piece by Multimedia Journalist, Erastus Asare Donkor has shown over 30 fully armed military men protecting Chinese miners degrading the forest of Manso in the Ashanti region.

During the journalist journey to the part of Manso and its forests scenes of destruction and degradation. Abandoned pits and mining settlements dotted the road leading into the what is left of the once lush forest.

After navigating through the dangerous terrain of open filled pits filled with water, government’s Environmental Sustainably taskforce together with journalist for the special report arrived at the mining settlement deep within the forest enclave.

Seven Chinese nationals were quickly located and arrested.

Upon the arrest, several military uniforms were picked as indicating to be their security officials but the other military personnel who drove in numbering over 30, angrily took back the uniforms picked up by the taskforce sparking a heated argument with some vigilantes.

They however forced the Joy News reporter to stop recording what was going on.

Things became physical as the macho men assaulted the journalist’s driver; forcibly taking his keys to his vehicle and struggling with the camera technician for the camera.

Some members of the Delta Force further damaged the equipment of the journalist and broke his car windscreen and side mirrors.

It took the intervention of the Ministry of Environment and some officers at the Ghana Armed Forces command to release them.