After Fierce Gun Battle 12 Arrested for Illicit Mining

Twelve armed illicit miners are reported to have been arrested in the Gola Forest National Park where they have been mining illegally.

This was confirmed by a senior forest guard, Mohamed Koroma, during an exclusive interview with this reporter.

Mr. Koroma revealed that the twelve illicit miners were apprehended during a joint operation conducted by the forest guards and the Sierra Leone police.

He went on that the illicit miners were nabbed after a two hour fierce battle as the miners put up stiff resistance and were armed with machine guns.  He further disclosed that the miners were arrested with shovels and other mining equipment and had foreign identity cards, all of which were confiscated.

Speaking to this reporter at his 164, Dama Road office in Kenema, the Protection Manager, Alusine Fofanah, confirmed that foreign nationals from neighboring Guinea and Liberia have been infiltrating the Gola Forest and mining illegally, especially in the southern block, a situation which he said prompted the Gola Forest Management to train and deploy 50 forest guards to secure the forest reserve.

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