Chief, two others bonded

Tarkwa, March 18, GNA - A Tarkwa circuit court has bonded Nana Kwame Obeng, Chief of Obengkrom near Sefwi Asawinso and two others to be of good behaviour for 12 months.

The court also perpetually restrained them from entering the Krokosua Hill Forest Reserve and also confiscated all farmlands in the forest reserve to Forestry Services Division (FSD). Two others who were jointly bonded were Wahab Kusasi and Charles Tetteh both farmers.

Nana Obeng pleaded with the court for leniency since Obengkrom is sited in the middle of the forest reserve and has no source of livelihood except the land.

"I will not encroach again and will beat "gong-gong" to prevent everybody from entering the forest,'' he pleaded.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Asamoah of Tarkwa Police said Nana Obeng sold part of Krokosua Hill Forest Reserve without authority to Kusasi and Tetteh and collected 1.6 million cedis each from them. He said on 22 February a team of forestry officers on patrol found Kusasi and Tetteh weeding part of the reserve and when they were questioned they said it was the chief who sold the land to them.