Tragedy struck in the Sefwi Agyemadiem forest area of the Juaboso District in the Western North Region, as a violent clash between two rival groups of illegal timber loggers resulted in the loss of five lives.
The deadly confrontation, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, March 11, 2025, also left multiple individuals with severe injuries.
Sources reveal that the rival groups were engaged in illicit timber harvesting, a pervasive issue plaguing the region. A longstanding feud over access to lucrative logging sites had been simmering, ultimately boiling over into the deadly clash that claimed five lives.
The incident, which took place in Agyemadiem, saw the two factions engage in a deadly confrontation using machetes, pump-action guns, and other tools commonly used in their illicit activity.
According to eyewitnesses, the confrontation rapidly escalated into chaos, resulting in the devastating loss of life. In the midst of the mayhem, a Mitsubishi pickup truck bearing the registration number GE 9075-17 was torched, adding to the destruction and carnage.
Although their identities have not been officially confirmed by authorities, the victims are reportedly members of the same group. Police personnel have been dispatched to the scene to retrieve the bodies and restore order. Meanwhile, the injured individuals have been rushed to the Sefwi Asawinso hospital for urgent medical attention.
The brutal clash has sparked widespread alarm over the escalating menace of illegal logging in the region. Local residents and authorities are now demanding tougher enforcement of forestry laws, stressing the urgent need to safeguard the region’s fragile forests from rampant exploitation and deforestation.
Meanwhile, Nana Ofori Ahenkan II, the Chief of Sefwi Boinzan and Kontihene of the Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Area, had recently sounded the alarm on the escalating lawlessness in the region’s forest reserves, urging the government to take decisive action to address the issue, just weeks before the deadly clash occurred.
Author: Dorothy Donkor
