A violent clash at an illegal sand winning site in Asiyaw Dobro, located in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region, has left at least five people dead following a deadly confrontation between local community leaders and armed guards allegedly hired by private contractors.
The tragic incident occurred during a community-led intervention aimed at stopping destructive sand mining operations that have devastated farmlands and crippled the livelihoods of local farmers. Crops such as cassava, maize, and pawpaw have reportedly been destroyed as vast portions of farmland have been overtaken by unregulated sand excavation.
Tensions reached a breaking point when the boundary chief of the Adonteng division, acting on appeals from affected farmers, led a delegation to confront those operating the site. According to eyewitness accounts, a group of armed men—believed to be acting under the instruction of sand-winning contractors Togbe Agar Sermaglo and Samuel Atsu Forson Alanyo—opened fire on the delegation, triggering chaos and resulting in multiple fatalities.
Residents have expressed deep anger and grief, calling for immediate government intervention and the arrest of those behind the violence. Many see the deadly ambush as the tragic outcome of longstanding neglect and failure to regulate illegal mining activities that continue to destroy the region’s environment and agricultural base.
Local authorities are investigating the incident, while community members mourn the loss and demand justice for what they describe as a blatant attack on their right to protect their land and livelihoods.
