NAIMOS spokesperson Elikem Kotoko has cautioned that crowd actions against state agents run the risk of having fatal repercussions, like Major Maxwell Mahama’s unfortunate death during the Bronikrom attack on anti-illegal mining operatives.
He claimed that the crowd’s actions were careless and might have resulted in violence.
He wondered what might have occurred if security guards had reacted violently.
“What if the military or the NAIMOS task force thought of what happened to Major Mahama in 2016 and decided to say, this level of aggression now requires maximum protection, because they were armed?” he asked on JoyNews’ PM Express.
He emphasised that armed officers have the right to self-defence and that any effort to charge at them is risky and unethical.
“Security operatives and analysts say the military is trained to kill,” he stated. “So for civilians to confront them in such numbers, it is dangerous, it is unnecessary, and it must stop.”
The Bronikrom incident, according to Kotoko, serves as a warning to communities not to try to obstruct anti-galamsey operations or face task forces in the field.
He said that those involved were putting their lives in peril and jeopardising the peace of the country.
Additionally, he emphasised the need for local leadership in averting such escalations, calling for chiefs, community leaders, and opinion leaders to assume accountability and deter hostile mob behaviour.
He stated that civilians should respect national security activities and refrain from putting state employees in danger while they are performing their official jobs.
Ebenezer Kwaku Addo of Asutifi North and Collins Dauda of Asutifi South are two members of parliament who have been connected to the altercation.
According to Kotoko, these incidents highlight the necessity of maintaining composure, following the law, and strictly adhering to protocol whenever state security teams enter villages to execute anti-mining laws.
credit:mynewsgh
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