In a brazen armed robbery attack on a mining site in Akyem Akokoaso, which is located inside the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency of the Eastern Region, at least five Chinese nationals were shot, with three of them being in serious condition.
The Jia Xin Industrial Mining Company, which conducted underground mining in the region using abandoned tunnels, was the subject of a robbery at its office.
According to reports, during a nighttime social event, a group of roughly fifteen armed bandits broke into the mining site and stole two gold bars and GHC ten thousand in cash.
One victim received a bullet wound to his genital. The attackers used a methodical and planned approach to the crime by seizing the decoders from the CCTV cameras, rendering them inoperable.
The victims are undergoing medical care in a hospital. Tensions between the local population and the mining firm have existed for a long time.
Residents have long accused Jia Xin Industrial of indulging in unlawful mining activities. This is especially true given that the company lacks the necessary license for significant underground mining operations, which are said to have caused environmental harm.
After then-Minister John Peter Amewu gave his consent, Jia Xin Industrial Company acquired the prospecting license from Ofosua Mining and Construction Company in 2018.
But recent conflicts between the firm and young people in the area have gotten worse. Three weeks ago, 16 people from Akokoaso were arrested for engaging in illicit mining on the company concession, allegedly at the request of Chinese authorities. The mining company has seen numerous robberies in the last few years.
