Members of the Techiman Timber Products Retailers Association (TETIPRA) in the Bono East Region, numbering about a thousand, have taken a stand against some alleged Forestry Taskforce members who have recently invaded their area.
These Taskforce members have mounted checkpoints on timber routes from the Southern Sector, specifically Bono and Ahafo Regions, to harass drivers and prevent the transportation of legally acquired timber or wood logs to customers in the Northern part of Ghana.
These merchants, many of whom have traded in the Techiman Timber Market for several years, say this is the first time they’ve encountered individuals posing as National Security Operatives and Forestry Commission personnel extorting money without receipts.
Addressing a tensed press conference in Techiman on Tuesday, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulai alias Foreman, a leading convener of TETIPRA, revealed that Forestry Services Division and Timber Industry Development Division checkpoints are already on the roads, and they have worked cordially with them for years.
Despite having all necessary documents from the Ghana Forestry Commission and local authorities, transporters are being harassed at these checkpoints and forced to pay huge sums to avoid losing their goods.
Meanwhile, this problem has been reported to the Ghana Forestry Commission, but no action has been taken to stop it, which suggests that the CEO, Dr. Hugh C. A. Brown, may be aware of the issue and could be condoning these extortions and frustrations on timber merchants.
Alhaji Mohammed Foreman added that, majority of these Timber Merchants are staunch NDC members who fought for the party in 2024 and see these actions as a sabotage to the government therefore calling on President John Dramani Mahama to take action about these disturbing happenings which could negatively affect their fortunes in the 2028 general elections.
Some angry members of the Techiman Timber Products Retailers Association have threatened to take matters into their own hands if the government doesn’t immediately intervene to peacefully remove the checkpoints from Kintampo, Damango, Buipe, Akumadan, and Techiman-Sunyani roads, citing concerns that their businesses, which support their families, will collapse.
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