A civilian has been confirmed dead in an attack on Friday morning at Bole in the Northern Region, carried out by unknown persons believed to be robbers or rebels from neighbouring Ivory Coast.<\/p>\n
This brings to two the number of persons who have died from Friday\u2019s attack. The first was a military officer <\/a><\/strong><\/span>who was moving with Bole District Security Committee (DISEC).<\/p>\n The attack by the gunmen took place Dolla Power, an illegal mining community. The attack also left other security personnel injured.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”dw4ywhKuuh3omKhM102nxt7A5ZdoQNeP”]The DISEC members, led by the District Chief Executive (DCE) were ambushed by the gun men few meters to the community after crossing the Black Volta.<\/p>\n It is unknown whether the gun men were robbers or Ivorian rebels who allegedly hide in the community and often extort money from travellers on the border town.<\/p>\n A Journalist from Bole, Richard Forgor, who confirmed the incident to Citi News<\/strong>, says the DCE, James Jaaga, is unhurt, while the injured are receiving treatment at the Bole District Hospital.<\/p>\n Speaking on Eyewitness News<\/strong> on Friday, Mr. Forgor said the woman who died in the attack is not a military officer but a civilian who was hit by the bullet while she was entering the community.<\/p>\n He added that the woman in question was killed even before the DISEC members arrived there.<\/p>\n According to Forgor, although the initial suspicion was that the shooting may have been orchestrated by Ivorian rebels, the police believe there was an armed robbery ongoing at the galamsey site when the DCE and his entourage run into it.<\/p>\n He said reports he had picked up suggested that the DISEC members were on their way to settle a dispute in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have not yet told us what dispute they were going to settle but they unknowingly run into the armed men who shot at them. It was more or less like an ambush so they shot and killed one of the army officers and then two army officers have also been rushed to the Wenchi Hospital. The District High Commander has also been hit by the gunshot and is also receiving treatment. So according to the police, they\u2019ve not been able to identify who these people are. They think they are either robbers or members of the rebels known to be in Dolla Power who take money from people who travel into that community.\u201d<\/p>\n Boundary Dispute<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a dispute as to whether Dolla Power is in Ghana or not; but when you are going, these rebels demand money from you before you enter the community. Armed robbery too is very rampant in that area because of the mining activity. It was a farming settlement but later galamsey operators moved there when they found gold and now you have a lot of people staying there and doing mining all the way from Ivory Coast, Guinea and other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has become one of the populated areas which is even outstripping the population in the Bole Township. And as a result armed robbery is very rampant there.<\/p>\n Lack of Security<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the Journalist, \u201cthe residents have been calling for help but anytime they complain, the police say it has no logistics to patrol the area.\u201d<\/p>\n Battle for Dolla Power<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere is a boundary dispute on the ownership of the area. Some chiefs in Ivory Coast are claiming the land and those in Ghana are also laying claim to it. People are robbed and shot and killed on monthly basis in this area and it\u2019s quite a serious issue. The people of Bole are not seeing concrete steps to address the security problem.<\/p>\n What the security agencies must do<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think that the security agencies have to take the responsibility to resource themselves, patrol that area and arrest the armed robbers. The boundary dispute there has to be dealt with and the activity going on there is illegal mining so government has to step in and maintain law and order.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Sorgor, although majority of Bole residents were largely peasant farmers, a lot of them are now moving into the area to either get involved in illegal mining or its related trading activities to make money.\u201d<\/p>\n Bole is the hometown of President John Dramani Mahama.
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\nBy: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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