New Abirem shooting: IGP must act now – DCE

The Birim North District Assembly has condemned what it described as the “unprofessional manner” in which Police handled some demonstrators in the enclave days ago.

The local authority has therefore called for a prompt action to be taken on the matter asking the Interior Minister and the Inspector General of Police to separately conduct full-scale investigations into the reported shooting incidence as a result of the demonstration by locals.

At least seven people sustained various degrees of injury when aggrieved farmers who were demonstrating at New Abirem over claims of inadequate compensation by the Newmont Akyem Gold Mining Company clashed with armed policemen on Tuesday.

The police reportedly used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the angry demonstrators, who had blocked the entrance to the mining company to prevent workers from gaining access to the premises.

The standoff between the police and the demonstrators resulted in seven of the latter sustaining rubber bullet wounds.

In a Press statement by the Birim North District Assembly and signed by the District Chief Executive of the Assembly, Raymond Nana Damptey said:” The timely intervention by the Police Command to ensure justice and the perpetrators clearly brought to book will go a long way to pacify the aggrieved farmers in particular and the youth in the 10 affected mining communities in general.”

Meanwhile, the Assembly has asked for calm among the aggrieved farmers as it engages the Chiefs and Newmont Akyem to address their concerns.