Police at Axim within the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality of the Western Region have arrested two suspects who allegedly contracted 9 Ghanaians and a Chinese to embark on unlawful mining actions on the Okoben Mining Company Limited gold concession at Dominase.
The two suspects are the Chief of Ablebo, Nana Miensah, and one Ramsey, who’s alleged to be a National Security officer.
The names of those leaders who employed the ten suspected unlawful ‘galamseyers’ together with a Chinese nationwide, got here up after the ten had been arrested by the joint workforce of police, National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and National Security personnel at Axim.
The names of Ghanaians who’re Paul Aboagye, Asamoah Gyan, John Yembiri, Richard Sackey, Boris Laari, Kofi Bakaro, Boti Kofana Kwame Owusu and the Chinese nationwide, Wei Yunzhao.
Upon their arrest on Wednesday, January 18 on the Okoben Mining Company Limited’s gold concession at Dominase, the suspects talked about the Chief of Ablebo, Nana Miensah, one Ramsey, a nationwide safety officer and one Kumah of Kedadwen, as those that introduced them to the concession of the corporate.
Surprisingly, two of the Ghanaian suspected unlawful miners instructed the Axim Police that they had been National Security operatives.
Seven Ghanaians, together with one Chinese, had been arrested at Dominase for invading gold mining concession of the Ghanaian-owned mining firm.
The 9 male miners had been amongst lots of of Ghanaian unlawful miners, together with a great deal of overseas nationals who managed to invade the legally acquired gold mining concession of Okobeng Mining Company Limited in Dominase.
These unlicensed miners used heavy-mining tools to have interaction in large-scale unlawful mining actions on the concession of Okoben Mining Company Limited on the blind aspect of the state mining regulatory establishments in Ghana, together with Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
These unlawful miners who didn’t even have environmental permits or licenses from the federal government of Ghana managed to have interaction in large-scale gold mining actions earlier than the proprietor of the concession, Nana Okoben Amponsah, obtained hints and rapidly reported the matter to Axim Divisional Police Command.
Following the official report Nana Okoben Amponsah lodged with the police, a joint workforce of police, National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and National Security personnel from Axim within the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality moved to the location to impact the arrest of complete of 9 unlawful Ghanaian miners and a Chinese nationwide.
The swoop, performed by the Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the NIB and National Security, fashioned a part of the federal government’s renewed struggle in opposition to unlawful mining.
Information obtainable signifies that the unlawful miners who invaded the concession had been greater than ten however some, predominantly the overseas nationals, managed to run means on the time the National Security officers stormed the location to have an effect on the arrest.
The miners managed to indiscriminately mine gold within the concession with out the information of the proprietor of the corporate, Nana Okoben Amponsah.
They had additionally managed to clear massive tracts of arable cocoa farmlands in a forest at website of the corporate and tributaries of the Ankobra River had additionally been closely polluted by their actions.
The workforce confiscated some excavators and plenty of different heavy mining objects.
These unlawful miners are presently in custody of the Axim Divisional Police Command aiding the police of their investigations.
The Chief Executive Officer of Okoben Mining Company Limited, Nana Okoben Amponsah expressed fear that regardless of the ban on unlawful mining actions by the central authorities some “unpatriotic” Ghanaians are aiding foreigners to mine and destroy his gold mining concession at Dominase he lawfully and legally secured for the previous 24 years in the past.
“How is it possible that despite the number of caution and announcements, people still have the effrontery to be engaging in illegal mining? What worries me the most is how our own people find it convenient to collaborate with foreigners on this destruction spree?”
He stated: “It is very sad. But I make a solemn promise that we will not rest. If it means going after them every day, than that it exactly what we will do.”
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|3news.com|Ghana
Source: 3news.com
