We're not responsible for death of four illegal miners - Operation Vanguard

Operation Vanguard, the anti-galamsey task force comprising the military and police personnel have denied killing four persons whose remains were retrieved an abandoned mining pit at Kwabeng in the Atiwa District of the Eastern Region.

Reports had it that the four who were transporting an excavator to a mining site fled and abandoned their equipment upon seeing a team from Operation Vanguard.

But the anti-galamsey task force denied killing the four.

Commanding Officer of Operation Vanguard, Colonel William Agyapong said: “I don’t know where the story is coming from.” “Only last week there was another story that Operation Vanguard had killed somebody at Juaboso District.

If it's propaganda it will fail because the good people of Ghana will see through it. I have cross-checked with the patrol team that went to Akukuso yesterday and they had no activity in the town, it is a falsehood, it has nothing to do with our operation,” he insisted.

According to the police, they received a report of the incident from one Isaac Annor.

A statement from the police said“One yaw with three others was in charge of a low loader vehicle which was carting an excavator machine to extra gold mining concession at Akukuso near Kwabeng.

That on reaching a section of the road…they were reported to have encountered personnel of the operation vanguard task force, so the operator and other occupants all abandoned the vehicle with the engine running but found no one onboard and still could not be traced.

Police proceeded to the scene of the incident, combed the area and found an abandoned mining pit filled with water. Divers dived into it and retrieved four bodies…all wearing T-shirts and pair of trousers. Police found blood and foam oozing from their mouth and nostrils.”

The statement added the bodies have been convened to the Police hospital for preservation and autopsy while investigations continue into the matter.