A Forestry Commission Rapid Response team has narrowly escaped death as about 20 fully armed illegal miners still operating within the Jimira Forest Reserve ambushed and opened fire on them as they embarked on their usual patrol duties.

Officials of the commission tell JoyNews they had an intel on Saturday June 28, 2025 that some illegal miners have invaded Compartment 34 of the Jimira Forest Reserve (Bentiko-Pakyi portion).

“Apparently, we had made attempts on two occasions to clamp down on illegal miners at the said portion of the Reserve but were prevented by armed thugs,” he said.

“The last incident occurred on May 27, 2025, when we visited the area with our Rapid Team supported by 7 police officers from the Nkawie Divisional Police Command.”

“At that instance, the armed thugs prevented the team from accessing the reserve,” he hinted.

Today's exercise was carried out by the Rapid Response Team and other officers totalling eight.

JoyNews is learning that on approaching the boundary to the Reserve, the thugs had parked three pick-up vehicles on the route and ordered them to stop.

Upon stopping, the thugs numbering over 20 who had laid ambush in the nearby vegetation emerged and started firing warning shots.

“One of our officers who was seated at the front of one of our vehicles was hit with a machete several times by the thugs,” an officer with the team told Erastus Asare Donkor.

“One of our vehicles also got damaged from the gun shots. Fortunately, apart from the officer who was hit with the machete, no one got injured,” he narrated.

The team sensing danger retreated for safety. The matter has once again been reported to the Nkawie Divisional Police Command.

A similiar incident about two months ago saw a member of the team slashed in the Knee with machete by illegal miners.

The Jimira and Jimira extension forest reserves have become no-go areas even for forestry officials protecting the reserves.