Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, claims that the government’s investigation into the Appiate explosion will clear up any confusion.
Mr. Jinapor’s assurance comes in the wake of reports that the truck transporting the explosives to Chirano Gold Mines did not have a police escort, as the police suggested.
The Chief of Bepo Traditional Area, Nana Attah Kojo Bremibi, who made the claim during a working visit to Appiate by Mr. Jinapor and the Works and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye, said information available to him showed that the truck was not escorted by police.
“What I want to tell the Minister is that the tanker that was carrying the explosives had no police escort. People in Appiate were around when the tanker was entering the town. When the accident happened, it was in the full glare of the people so if anyone should say there was a police escort, that will be false. If indeed there was a police escort, the question will be where were the police at the time? If anybody wants to challenge this, we would want the individual to come before us to do so,” the Chief had said.
His claim contradicts the Director-General of the Police Public Affairs Department, ACP Kwesi Ofori’s claim that the Tarkwa Divisional Police duly signed and approved a police escort for the truck.
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Responding to Nana Attah Kojo Bremibi, Mr. Jinapor said the government’s investigative team will unravel the truth about the incident.
“I appreciate his [Chief’s] point and that is why the government has set up various investigative apparatus to investigate this incident and report exactly what happened. It will obviously be inescapable for the committee or the investigative apparatus not to speak to him as a chief and not to take eyewitness account. As I speak to you, there is a team from the Ministry interviewing residents of the community and eyewitness accounts and out of which I believe we will get the final report which will tell us exactly what happened,” he said on Eyewitness News.
The explosion has killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 100 others as well as leveling several buildings in the area.
Mr. Jinapor said the government is currently formulating a policy framework for the reconstruction of the Appiate community.
