Some illegal small scale mining (galamsey) operatives arrested in the Atewa Forest have accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of sidelining them after engaging them for several illegal security-related activities.
According to a report by Starrfmonline, the accused persons averred that the NPP employed them to cause mayhem during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in 2019.
They furthered that the government sent them to Kumasi during the 2020 general elections to cause commotion at some polling centres.
Touching on their illegal operations in the Atewa Forest, the accused persons said they had the backings of the NPP to carry out their operations in the forest reserve.
These accused persons they said had betrayed them in the ruling party and promised to not let sleeping dogs lie vowing to take them on.
“You sent us to Ayawaso, in the 2020 elections you sent us to Kumasi to make a show. But today you are calling us thieves meanwhile it is the office of the President that sent us to the Atewa Forest. NPP is not a good party. We will show them,” one of them reportedly said.
They said this at the premises of Koforidua Circuit Court’ B’ after the court denied them bail.
The court presided by Her Honour Mercy Addei Kotei has remanded the accused persons into Police Custody and are expected to reappear on June 8, 2021.
This is the second time the accused persons have been refused bail by the Court.
