{"id":323439,"date":"2017-05-29T14:10:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-29T14:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=323439"},"modified":"2017-05-29T14:10:35","modified_gmt":"2017-05-29T14:10:35","slug":"our-personnel-were-at-mining-site-legally-armed-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/05\/our-personnel-were-at-mining-site-legally-armed-forces\/","title":{"rendered":"Our personnel were at mining site legally – Armed Forces"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Ghana Armed Forces has defended the deployment of some of its men to protect Geo Professional Services Company, a mining company in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region, found to be operating illegally.<\/p>\n
According to the military, the deployment was made following a request by the Ashanti Regional Security Council.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”NGe6SHaQcDruC1TgOwSMoW9kUfQHc06C”]The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, also confirmed<\/a><\/strong><\/span> this to Citi News<\/strong>, noting that their deployment was upon a request from the then Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Joseph Yamin.<\/p>\n According to him, the soldiers were deployed\u00a0after the Geo Professional Services (GPS) Company complained about attacks from illegal miners.<\/p>\n However, speaking to Citi News<\/strong>, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces, Colonel Aggrey Quarshie, rejected any accusations of illegal deployment against the Army.<\/p>\n The military had come under heavy criticism after the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Peter Amewu,\u00a0discovered that<\/a><\/strong><\/span> some soldiers were protecting their mining concession in Tontokrom in the Amansie West District.<\/p>\n During the tour of the area, some 15 soldiers were seen protecting the activities of the miners which were described as illegal by Mr. Amewu.<\/p>\n