National Security officials in the Ashanti Region have begun joint patrols with the military along the Accra-Kumasi Expressway after 15 people were arrested over alleged illegal sand winning at Sewuah.
The operation is intended to prevent further unlawful activity and other security-related incidents along the road, with security personnel instructed to identify potential threats before they develop.
Ashanti Regional Coordinator for National Security, Captain John Kwame Jabari, said the patrols began after a directive was issued following the arrests.
“We have directives that we should conduct joint patrols with the military on that stretch of the expressway in the Ashanti Region, so we have started to conduct patrols on the expressway to ensure that this sort of incident does not happen again,” he said in an interview on TV3’s Daily Brief on Thursday, October 15.
Security agencies are also working with informants in communities near the expressway, Captain Jabari said. Their role is to provide early warnings about suspicious behaviour and possible incidents.
He added that the joint presence would improve surveillance along the route and allow officers to respond more quickly if problems were reported.
The patrols follow investigations into illegal sand winning on the expressway, during which authorities identified the involvement of several trucks.
Captain Jabari said intelligence gathered by the security agencies suggested the activity was not limited to the suspects already arrested. Investigators believe a wider network of truck drivers may be involved and are taking steps to locate and arrest others connected to the operation.
“Our intelligence and investigations reveal that there was a number of trucks which conducted that sand winning on the expressway, and plans are underway to pick up those other vehicles,” he said.
He stressed that the arrests made so far did not account for everyone involved, describing the illegal activity as a syndicate involving several truck drivers.
The joint patrols will therefore continue as part of efforts to strengthen security along the expressway, disrupt the alleged network and prevent further illegal sand winning at the location.
