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Illegal chainsaw operators and merchants who fell tress in restricted forest reserves in the Nkwanta South District of the Volta Region are allegedly being charged GHC200.00 by forest guards of the Forestry Commission (FC), Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), some military and police personnel, Today can report.

The monies Today gathered are paid via MTN Mobile Money Transfer to the forest guards and the other security agencies before they are allowed to travel with their lumbers from Dapaa Junction to Yendi, Bibila, Walewale and Tamale.

According to sources, those who fail to pay the said money are prevented from felling the tress, let alone carrying the lumbers for sale.

Scores of Immigration officers who spoke to Today on condition of anonymity said they were appalled at the development, describing it as “daylight robbery.”

The reason, they explained, was because no official receipt is issued to those chain operators who pay the money.

The practice, they told Today, has gotten out of hand, which development was affecting revenue generation of Nkwanta South District Assembly.

They indicated that Fridays and Saturdays are the days that those state security officers aid those illegal chainsaw operators and merchants to cross many barriers with their lumbers.

The Immigration officers confirmed that when recently they arrested some illegal chainsaw operators with pieces of lumbers, the suspects boldly told them that we (chainsaw operators) “paid money to BNI, police and military personnel at the barriers and were allowed to transport our goods to Northern Region to sell.”

The Immigration officers in this regard expressed worry over the interference by forest guards, military, BNI and police officers in the district.

According to them, such practices retard development because “it makes it difficult to enforce state security laws and regulation.”

Against this backdrop, they appealed to all stakeholders in the district to work together towards protecting the natural resources from destruction, adding that posterity “will not forgive us if we allow unpatriotic and selfish individuals to destroy the forest reserve.”

When Today contacted the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Cephas Arthur, on Wednesday August 3, 2016 he expressed worry about the development.

The mouthpiece of the Police Administration however, gave the assurance that they will commission a full scale investigation into the matter in order to unravel the truth.

Superintendent Cephas Arthur stressed that his outfit would not shield any security officer who will be found culpable in the scandal.

Earlier when Today reached the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Interior, Madam Maybel Ramani, on Wednesday August 3, 2016, she declined to comment on the matter.