The vehicle on fire
A bloody clash between two groups of alleged illegal loggers at Sefwi Dome, near Sefwi Agyemandiem in the Sefwi Juaboso District of the Western North Region has led to the death of five people.
The unfortunate incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that unauthorised timber harvesting activities have become a lucrative job in the region, and the residents have criticised the authorities concerned for allegedly doing nothing to stop the practice.
The incident started when two groups of illegal chainsaw operators and illegal timber loggers stormed the Krokosua Forest Reserve in the area to prove which of them have the right to operate in the forest reserve.
In the process, a fight ensued between members of the two groups, who were wielding machetes, pump action guns and other weapons, and resulted in the death of the five people.
The deceased were members of one of the groups, however, their names were not immediately known.
The violent confrontation also led to the injury of several others.
A Mitsubishi pick-up with registration number GE 9075 – 17 was also set ablaze in the scuffle.
The police have since been deployed to the area to maintain law and order.
The injured have also been taken to the St John of God Hospital in the Western North Region for medical treatment.
According to sources, there were series of signals indicating a possible clash in the forest, and the authorities concerned, including the Forestry Commission, were alerted.
However, the authorities allegedly failed to take the necessary action to avert the clash.
Some of the residents also claimed that the illegal timber loggers are spiritually fortified, therefore, the security agencies and the forest guards are scared of their actions.
They said about two weeks ago, some illegal loggers stormed the Sefwi Asawinso police station and demanded the release of four of their members who were arrested by a security taskforce.
It took the intervention of the Western North Regional Police Commander, DCOP Cosmos Anyan, for order to be maintained.
Meanwhile, Nana Kofi Donkor, Chief of Sefwi Agyemandiem, has indicated that his people are living in fear, and appealed to the police to beef up security to help avert future clashes.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi