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The District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Upper Denkyira West District Daniel Appianin has told Citi News that a team of military men have invaded Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region beating up residents in the area.

According to the DCE, the military men had taken hostage of about 80 men while women and children have been camped in a church in the town.

This follows the killing of one Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama in the area on Monday.

The residents allegedly claimed Captain Mahama, who at the time was not in military uniform, was a robber and thus lynched and burnt him at Diaso, a small town in Denkyira-Obuasi.

Although the military said it has deployed it’s men to investigate the issue, some of its officers according to the DCE are currently brutalizing the residents.

“I was at the scene, they’ve arrested a lot of men, they’ve beaten a number of them, they’ve camped women and children in a church.

What happened when the robbery happened? Didn’t we realize that we need to bring security to come and protect the people? One person is dead and it is bringing the entire military to the place. This is the country we are living in.”

He added that “I’ve seen it myself, at least I saw about 80 men lined up on the floor. The women and children have been camped in a church. The military people were saying that unless they get their gun, they are not living them.

I spoke to their commander; I went there with my district police commander, BNI and other security operatives in the district. The security men are saying they will only leave when they retrieve their gun.”

He further lamented that the issue is causing heightened tension in the town saying “the area is almost empty.”

Mahama was deployed to fight galamsey – Uncle

The late Mahama’s uncle, Fred McBagonluri on the Citi Breakfast Show said his nephew was part of a security team deployed to the town to fight illegal mining.

“He told us that there was some galamsey activities happening in the area which is like the epiccentre of this criminal enterprise and that their arrival they realized that the perpetrators of this trade have actually moved their equipment further into the forest.

And now it was really difficult for them to really get access to them. They can hear machines operating but far inside the forest. These were his last words to a friend of mine,” he added.