Aburumase Residents Demand Transfer of Police Officer Accused of Illegal Logging and Charcoal Burning

Aburumase residents in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region have called for the immediate transfer of a police officer, Chief Inspector E.K. Mensah, from the Abrumase Police Station. The officer, who has been in the area for 15 years, has been accused of engaging in illegal rosewood harvesting, commercial charcoal burning, and other social vices. The community is calling on the Savannah Regional Police Command to transfer him immediately.

In a video that went viral, several bags of charcoal and wood were captured at the Abrumase Police Station with the said officer and the community asking the officer questions about the charcoal and wood deposited at the police station.

The Salaga District Divisional Police Command has since launched investigations into the matter and has invited the aggrieved residents captured in the video and the said police officer to the Salaga District Police Command to assist in the investigation.

Illegal logging and commercial charcoal burning have been a menace to the environment and the livelihoods of many in the region. In April 2017, the Gonja Traditional Council declared a total ban on logging and commercial charcoal burning across all traditional areas in Gonjaland. In 2019, the Savannah Regional House of chiefs and the Savannah Regional Security Council constituted a committee to deal with the menace.

Several trucks loaded with charcoal and heaps of logs were intercepted and seized by a task force. However, the activities of the community were halted following political and traditional interference. The Gonjaland Youth Association and Jaksally, a non-profit organization, have provided technical and financial support to combat the menace.

Jaksally Jeremiah Seidu, the Programmes Coordinator of Jaksally, has called for a change in the approach to fighting illegal logging and commercial charcoal burning. He believes that the methods currently in use are ineffective, and other measures need to be taken to combat the problem.

In a nutshell, Aburumase residents are demanding the immediate transfer of a police officer, Chief Inspector E.K. Mensah, from the Abrumase Police Station for engaging in illegal rosewood harvesting, commercial charcoal burning, and other social vices. The Salaga District Divisional Police Command has launched an investigation into the matter.

Illegal logging and commercial charcoal burning have been a menace to the environment and the livelihoods of many in the region. The Gonjaland Youth Association and Jaksally have provided technical and financial support to combat the menace. However, Jaksally’s Programmes Coordinator, Jaksally Jeremiah Seidu, has called for a change in the approach to fighting illegal logging and commercial charcoal burning.