Police stops ‘Yere bre’ demo by miners

The Ashanti Regional Police Commander COP Ken Yeboah has directed the small scale miners in the region to call off their intended demonstration today [Tuesday, September 12] which was meant to protest a temporary ban on their activities.

In an interview on Abusua FM, he explained that the police do not have enough men to protect the expected number of protestors.

He also indicated that another group could counter the demonstration and hence enough police officers are needed.

“I told them the timing was not appropriate so they should postpone it, so that we negotiate on a better date. Yesterday I learnt they met my absence, so I called them to find out their numbers and they said they will expect about 5,000 people. I told them that the whole region, our personnel is not up to this number. They told me they have made some expenses on the demonstration and cannot postpone it. They have to go home,” he explained.

Some members of the Ashanti Regional chapter of the Small Scale Miners Association who were traveling from Obuasi and other areas to join their colleagues at Gyamfua Park at Asokwa-Kumasi were prevented by the police at the various barriers, Kumasi-based Ultimate FM reports.
Some of the miners who had converged at the Gyamfua park for the demonstration were instructed to go home.
Scores of them were leaving the park as at the time of filing this story.