Police at Axim in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality of the Western Region have arrested the Chief of Ablebo, Nana Miensah, together with some National Security operatives for their alleged involvement in illegal mining.
The chief and one Ramsey, who identified himself as a national security officer allegedly contracted some Ghanaians and Chinese nationals to do illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, on a concession belonging to the Okoben Mining Company Limited at Dominase.
The two were arrested upon a tipoff following the earlier arrest of some miners on Wednesday, who then mentioned the chief’s name, Ramsey and one Kumah of Kedadwen, as their employers during interrogation by a joint team of police, National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and National Security personnel at Axim.
Those who were first arrested are: Paul Aboagye, Asamoah Gyan, John Yembiri, Richard Sackey, Boris Laari, Kofi Bakaro, Boti Kofana and Kwame Owusu. The Chinese national is called Wei Yunzhao.
Police sources told Newstitbits’ reporter that, Ramsey and another Ghanaian suspect told the Axim Police that they are national security operatives.
The owner of the Okoben Mining Company Limited, Nana Okoben Amponsah told our correspondent that he got wind of the activities of the illegal miners on his concession, so he quickly reported the development to the Axim Divisional Police Command.
Available information indicates that these miners have been using heavy mining equipment on the concession of Okoben Mining Company Limited on the blind side of the state mining regulatory institutions, including the Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency for some time now.
The illegal miners who had invaded the concession were many but some, mostly the foreign nationals, managed to escape at the time the joint security force swooped the site.
They were found to have cleared large tracts of arable cocoa farmlands in a forest and tributaries of the Ankobra River had also been heavily polluted by their activities.
The team confiscated some excavators and many other mining items.
The suspects are currently in custody of the Axim Divisional Police Command assisting the police in their investigations.
The Chief Executive Officer of Okoben Mining Company Limited, Nana Okoben Amponsah expressed worry that despite the ban on illegal mining activities by the central government some “unpatriotic” Ghanaians are aiding foreigners to mine and destroy his gold mining concession at Dominase he lawfully and legally secured for about 24 years ago.
“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?
“It is very sad. But I make a solemn promise that we will not rest. If it means going after them every day, then that is exactly what we will do”.