Timber millers accuse trade association members of being behind Babatokuma Forestry Commission checkpoint attack
The Ghana Timber Millers Organisation (GTMO) has accused some members of the timber trade association of being behind the recent attack on Forestry Commission personnel and the destruction of a newly built accommodation facility at the Babatokuma checkpoint in the Kintampo Forest District of the Bono East Region.
Insisting that some members of the timber trade association were behind the incident, they alleged that the attackers had claimed that the operations of the checkpoint were affecting their business activities.
They therefore want the police to arrest and prosecute the persons behind that attack.
In a press statement signed by Kwame Asamoah Adam as Chief Executive of the GTMP, the organisation said the timber industry operates under established laws and procedures that provide channels for resolving concerns.
It said licensed timber operators had been educated on the documentation required at Forestry Commission checkpoints.
It said transporters were required to present proof of the lawful source of timber before moving their consignments to destination markets.
GTMO said although administrative and logistical challenges had resulted in delays at some checkpoints, such issues could not justify attacks on public officers or the destruction of state property.
“No serious business operator who wants to run a successful and sustainable business will ever think of seeking redress in the manner that was embarked on at Babatokuma,” the statement said.
The organisation said the attackers assaulted Forestry Commission officers on duty before allegedly forcing their way into the facility, vandalising it and setting it ablaze.
“The reasons for the destruction of the facility and the injury caused to the staff constitute a criminal offence and the perpetrators must be fished out, arrested and put before the court,” Dr Adam stated.
GTMO also linked the incident to concerns over illegal logging activities, alleging that illegal operators were harvesting timber from forests in parts of the Bono, Ahafo and Western regions and transporting lumber through the Techiman, Tamale, Bolgatanga and Paga corridor into Sahelian countries.
It said the situation could affect legitimate timber businesses, employment and Ghana’s foreign exchange earnings if not addressed.
Ghana Institute of Foresters
On its part, the Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) has also condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric, reckless, and a direct assault on the rule of law.”
In a statement signed by Abukari Nantogmah Attah as President, GIF said Forestry Commission personnel had previously faced attacks at Mankranso, Tepa, Nkawie and Bekwai and called for stronger protection for forestry officers.
The Timber Validation Committee (TVC) also condemned the incident during its second quarter meeting on June 12, 2026, and called for measures to protect Forestry Commission personnel and safeguard Ghana’s position as the first country in Africa and second in the world to export Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)-licensed timber.
The injured Forestry Commission personnel received treatment at the Kintampo Government Hospital.
The Forestry Commission said the matter had been reported to the Kintampo Divisional Police Command and that it was working with the police and other security agencies to identify those responsible.
The Commission said some individuals suspected to have been involved in the attack were captured on video.
