Deploy security men to protect Apaape Forest Reserve. Nana Boakye Tromo urges govt

The Omanhene of the Duayaw-Nkwanta Traditional Area in the Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Boakye Tromo III, has made a passionate appeal

to the government to deploy security personnel to protect the Apaape Forest Reserve to save it from further encroachment.

Illegal chainsaw operation

According to him, notwithstanding efforts by the council to protect the reserve, illegal chainsaw operators had invaded the reserve.

He accused forestry officials in the area of conniving with the chainsaw operators.

Addressing a press conference at Duayaw-Nkwanta, Nana Tromo stated that over the last six months, the encroachers, mainly from the Techiman area, had intensified their illegal activities in the forest, plundering its resources indiscriminately.

He stated that even though the traditional council set up a task force to protect the reserve, members of the task force were arrested by the Regional Security Council who accused them of not having the authority to make such arrests.

The omanhene said there was the need for chiefs, as custodians of lands and forest, to protect such reserves for the sake of posterity, appealing to the government to come to the aid of the traditional council to put a stop to the carnage.

“We are not going to sit down for this unlawful practice to continue,” he stated.

It was evident when journalists were led to the reserve that the illegal chainsaw operators were leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to fell trees and saw them for sale.

Allegations not true

Officials of the Forestry Commission have, however, refuted allegations by the traditional council that their staff were involved in the indiscriminate felling of trees in the Apaape Forest Reserve.

The Bechem Disrict Forestry Manager rather accused some members of the Duayaw-Nkwanta Community of indulging in the illegal chainsaw operations.