Songhor Lagoon attack: Toflokpo residents give government 14-days ultimatum to call Electrochem to order

Aggrieved residents of Toflokpo in the Ada West District of the Great Accra Region have issued a two-week ultimatum to the government to call management of the salt mining firm, Electrochem Ghana Limited to order.

The residents said they want their concerns regarding salt mining and the Songhor lagoon addressed.

On Monday, November 6, 2023, salt miners of Toflokpo and Electrochem Ghana Limited Security Operation had a misunderstanding over consumption boundary issues leading to the death of 55-year-old, Korletey Agomeda Wormenor, and the injury of several others.

According to the residents, they live in fear and have given the government 14- days to intervene or else they will take the law into their own hands.

In an interview with Abraham Ahamah Tetteh, Ada Songhor Lagoon Association (ASLA) PRO said the only work they are familiar with is salt mining.

He added that they do not dig ground to mine the salt but they only use a freeway method to process salt.

He explained in detail how they process their salt.

"We laid the tarpaulin on the floor and after that, we prepared the water from the sea, so as the sun shines and the air blows it takes some days to turn the water into salt which we sell to get money to feed our family", he explained.

Mr. Ahamah Tetteh added that the Songhor Lagoon belongs to the people of Toflokpo but now Electrochem Ghana Limited claims that the government of Ghana has given them a license that covers all the land which is over 42,000 acres of land, and because of the licenses acquired by the company, they're trying to prevent the Ada citizens from processing salt in Ada.

He continues to say that, even if the government has given the license to Electrochem Ghana Limited to operate, there is an obligation that the Electrochem salt mining firm should abide by it.

Again he said there was no engagement between the people of Toflokpo and Electrochem Ghana Limited so they don't have the right to do what they are doing now.

Therefore, they've given the government 14 days that whoever came to Toflokpo to kill their brother Korletey must be found.

The family of Korletey Agomeda Wormenor who allegedly died during the Electrochem Ghana Limited shooting incident that occurred at Toflokpo has said the deceased was among those who were working while the police and other security came to stop the citizens from working hence, the family demands a probe into his death.

The family spokesperson, Faustina Malle Wormenor said they demand justice for the death of their beloved late brother, father, son, and husband.

Esther Tetteh the wife of the victim, said because their occupation is salt mining, his husband went to the site to work.

She said when he reached there, he started working when some land guards and the police came to their place of work.

She furthered that there was a misunderstanding between the workers, the police, and the landguards.

The confusion became so intense that the police brought out cutlasses, metals, and some guns and they started shooting at them which resulted in the death of one person and the injury of several others including his husband.