Three persons have been arrested at Sekyere Atiwa West District in the Eastern Region for impersonating as members of the Operation Vanguard, the anti-illegal mining task force inaugurated in 2017.
The three, a military officer and two accomplices, were arrested for posing as Operation Vanguard personnel, harassing and extorting money from civilians at Sekyere Atiwa West District.
They were grabbed by the Eastern Forward Operation Base (FOB) of the National Anti-Galamsey Task Force.
The Soldier – Private Bawa Kobore, of 5 Infantry Battalion, who is said to be on Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) duties at the Southern Command, Accra, was caught on Thursday, 21 November 2019, with an M16 assault rifle and fifteen rounds of 5.56 x 45mm NATO (bullets).
Private Bawa’s accomplices were; Emmanuel Opoku from the Achimota Forestry Commission and Seth Tiboah, a bookman from Sekyere.
Meanwhile, a Military Police (MP) personnel, and a National Security personnel, both yet to be identified, took to their heels before the patrol team got to the scene.
The Public Relations Officer of Operation Vanguard, Captain Andy Sowatey, says the two civilians have been handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.
He told Accra-based Citi FM: “We are investigating two individuals we posed as Operation Vanguard Personnel. One of them was apprehended on 11th July.
He was identified as Arnold Gyedu, 33 who has been handed to the Fomena Police [Ashanti Region] for investigations and Richard Nkrumah, 35, who was arrested at Bogoso Junction in the Western Region.
We are on the lookout for them, we are doing our very best to limit the incidents of people claiming to be operating in the name of Operation Vanguard.”
