Sunyani: Forestry Commission staff missing during operation
Sunyani, July 10, GNA – The management of the Bono Regional Forestry Commission and the Sunyani Forest District Office have mounted a search for a missing staff, Mr Vitus Yuordong of the Rapid Response Team (RRT).
Mr Yuordong, aged 33, in the company of his colleagues, were dispatched on Sunday, July 2, 2023, on an operation at the Daadom portion of the Asukese Forest reserve within the Sunyani Municipality to arrest illegal chainsaw operators.
A statement signed by Mr Francis Brobbey, the Sunyani District Manager and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the team successfully arrived at the scene (Asukese forest reserve) at 1300 hours on the day.
The statement said after a successful exercise the team converged at a point in the forest, with three seized chainsaw machines at about 1430 hours and were ready to return to Sunyani.
It explained Mr Yuordong and other staff decided to attend to nature’s call at somewhere in the forest, while the remaining two officers waited at a section in the forest.
Not long after, the statement said the other officer returned to the location where the two colleagues were waiting, but Mr Yuordong did not return, saying the remaining team combed round the forest but could not find him.
It added the team after countless efforts called to notify the office about the situation and proceeded to inform the nearest forest fringe community, Daadom for assistance.
The statement said two separate search teams, including the Regional Monitoring Team were quickly instituted, in addition to another search team organised by the Daadom community to assist.
However, it concluded an official report had been made to the Bono Regional Police Command for further investigation.
Mr. Brobbey in an interview with the GNA said, “the missing officer is believed to be located around communities fringing the reserve like Daadom, Yawsae, Antwikrom, Atronie, Kuffour Camp, Asaaman, Nsuta, praprabaanida, Pobe and other surrounding communities”.
He said before missing, Mr. Yuordong was wearing a Rapid Response camouflage uniform with his pump action gun with the number AFO063604, a cutlass and a bag.
Mr Brobbey appealed to residents in those communities, the entire Sunyani Municipality and all Ghanaians to look out for such a person and report to the nearest Police Station, Forestry Office.
Mr Yuordong is fair in complexion, hails from Nandom, capital of the Nandom Municipality in the Upper West Region and before being transferred to the Sunyani Forest District in January this year, he worked at the Digya National Park.
