TIG Post

Tag: Galamsey

  • Missing excavators drama sign of grave confusion Ken Ashigbey

    Lead campaigner of the Media Coalition against illegal mining, Ken Ashigbey has raised concerns over the circumstances that led to the controversial disappearance of excavators and other seized equipment from illegal miners in the country.

    He believes that the inability of the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to even provide the exact number of the missing excavators is a clear indication of his [Minister] total loss of control of his core mandate.

    On the Point of View on Wednesday, the media advocate in the fight against illegal mining was worried and expressed regret at the current turn of events.

    Mr. Ashigbey, therefore, implored the government to tackle the issue with the highest form of seriousness and take decisive steps to prove its commitment to settle the saga.

    “My pain is hearing the Chairman of the Inter-ministerial committee say that the excavators are missing. He said it in a way suggesting that nothing else was being done. It had to take a statement that was issued before we realized that all these actions were being taken. The very roadmap on illegal mining had mentioned that excavators were going to be registered, carted and tagged so for me, the inter-ministerial committee should take the issue of the missing excavators very seriously. The Minister did not even tell us what the number of the missing excavators was so definitely for me, I realized at that point that, we were missing the plot.”

    Missing excavators and arrest

    Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation and also Chairperson for the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), disclosed recently that most of the excavators that were seized from illegal miners had vanished.

    He subsequently petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the suspended First Vice Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, Horace Ekow Ewusi over his alleged involvement in the missing earth-moving equipment.

    Ekow Ewusi was contracted by the government to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping.

    So far, six persons arrested over the disappearance of the missing equipment been granted bail.

    The six, including Ekow Ewusi, have been cautioned with the offence of stealing and abetment to stealing.

    Past history

    It will be recalled that, at the peak of the fight against illegal mining between 2017 and 2018, about five hundred earth-moving machines were seized by the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry.

    The then sector Minister, John Peter Amewu who sanctioned the seizure directed them to be parked at the premises of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • CID picks up Agona West NPP Chair over missing excavators

    The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service probing into the 500 missing excavators seized in the clampdown of illegal mining, has invited the Agona West constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kojo Addo, for questioning.

    He was invited by the CID, Tuesday, afternoon, when he was attending to some issues in the constituency.

    Inside sources say the Agona West constituency NPP chairman is the right hand man of Mr. Horace Ekow Ewusi, who was suspended from the position of First Vice-Chair of the Central Region of the elephant family for gross disrespect and perjury.

    He is alleged to have had a hand in the missing excavators, hence, the invitation to assist the CID to unravel the circumstances that lead to the missing of the earth moving equipment.

    He is further to assist the Police to identify all the accomplices in connection to the deal that has put the government and the Operation Vanguard team in a very bad taste.

    On Monday, February 3, 2020, the CID picked up Mr. Ekow Ewusi, who is one of the leaders of Operation Vanguard, for interrogation over his role in the missing excavators and other equipment seized from illegal miners.

    His arrest was triggered by a request from the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to the Director General, CID Headquarters, Accra, to commence investigations into the missing excavators and some other equipment.

    “Mr. Ekow Ewusi was contracted to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safe keeping. We have received information that he sent an unknown number of equipment to unauthorized locations, including one in Tema. This was confirmed by the caretaker of the depot in Tema. Information reaching me indicates that he has sold an unknown number of the pieces of equipment, including excavators. I wish to appeal to the Police Authorities to investigate the matter”, the letter dated February 3, 2020, and requesting the Police to probe into matter in part read.

    Following his arrest, the names of some persons believed to be his friends who have ample knowledge and at a point played a role in moving the excavators from its authorized location, have popped up.

    One of such persons is the Agona West Constituency NPP chair who allegedly played a leading role in organizing some people to stage series of demonstrations against executives of the Central Regional NPP for suspending Mr. Ekow Ewusi.

     

    Source: Kasapafmonline.com

  • 6 Chinese arrested for assaulting Ghanaian worker at Awutu Bosom Abena

    Six Chinese nationals have been arrested by the Awutu Bereku District Police Command for assaulting a 40-year-old Ghanaian employee, Baba Amadu at Awutu Bosom Abena in the Central Region.

    The victim is battling for his life after he was handcuffed, hanged on a tree and brutalized till he started vomiting blood.

    Baba Amadu, a worker at the J. F Stone quarry owned by the Chinese nationals narrated to Kasapa New Yaw Boagyan that a supervisor ordered him to offload stones to one of the machines not knowing that one Chinese man was wielding a damaged part of the machine.

    According to him, the Chinese man came out of the machine and he informed his other colleagues and he was sacked immediately.

    “I was called back today to come and continue my work, upon reaching the yard, the Chinese men who had ambushed the compound handcuffed me, hanged me on a tree, fired a warning shot close to my eyes and beat me mercilessly till I went unconscious,” he narrated.

    The senior brother of the victim, Kweku Gyatey expressed fear that his brother could die any moment from now because he is having internal bleeding as well as vomiting blood.

    Meanwhile, the Chinese suspects have been arrested by Awutu Beraku District Police Command.

     

    Source: Kasapafmonline.com

  • Two illegal miners die in abandoned pit

    Two men, described by the police as “illegal miners,” have been confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries after an abandoned mining pit collapsed on them at dawn last Tuesday.

    The incident happened at Panyinikrom, a farming community near Kyeremasu in the Dormaa East District in the Bono Region.

    The police identified the deceased as Patrick Osei, popularly known as Atta Small, 37, and Kofi Tutu, 25.

    The two suspected illegal miners were said to have gone to the abandoned galamsey site with others to engage in illegal mining.

    Loose compact of sand

    The Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, told the Daily Graphic that while they were busy digging for gold in the abandoned pit, a loose compact of sand caved in and trapped them, leading to their death.

    The Daily Graphic also gathered that there were about seven illegal miners in the pit at the time of the unfortunate incident.

    Although their colleagues managed to come out, luck eluded the two who were unable to do so.

    Their colleagues, however, bolted and left them to their fate after realising that they could not come out of the pit.

    Police briefing

    Chief Inspector Oppong said the fate of the two was similar to being buried alive, saying the police with the help of some community members, managed to retrieve the bodies from the pit.

    He explained that a relative of the deceased, Mr Thomas Asamoah Yeboah, a carpenter at Kyeremasu, accompanied by Martin Kwasi Yeboah and two others, called at the charge office to report the incident.

    “The relatives of the deceased told the police that they had information that their brothers were trapped in the abandoned galamsey pit while prospecting for gold,” he stated.

    Chief Inspector Oppong said when the police inspected the bodies, there were no marks of assault on them.

    He said the police also conducted a search at the scene to find out whether there were more casualties and the cause of the collapse but did not find additional bodies.

    Chief Inspector Oppong said the police realised that part of the loose compact of sand had collapsed but nothing incriminating was found at the scene.

    He said the bodies had been deposited at the Dormaa-Ahenkro Presbyterian Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Ghanaian Times Editorial: Where are the galamsey excavators?

    Over the past few days, there have been intense debates over the whereabouts of excavators seized by the Operation Vanguard team in their operations across the country.

    The debates, which started following the announcement by the Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, have led to some demanding full disclosure about the missing excavators.

    Indeed, some civil society groups including the Media Coalition Against Galamsey and pressure group, Occupy Ghana as well as Concerned Small Scale Miners have joined the long list of Ghanaians demanding to know the whereabouts of the over 500 excavators confiscated within 2017 and 2018.

    Prof. Frimpong Boateng had revealed last week that most of the seized excavators are missing although they were in the custody of district assemblies across the country.

    The Ghanaian Times is as surprised as many Ghanaians that the excavators have disappeared from the premises of the assemblies who were supposed to have watched over them.

    We also feel disappointed and sad about the revelation because it shows that once again we failed to enforce the laws of this country in a very bizarre manner.

    We cannot imagine why government agencies cannot enforce the law and allow equipment seized and deposited in their custody vanish in a dramatic manner without a trace.

    It is surprising that the chairman of the taskforce is unaware of the whereabouts of the excavators, when he is supposed to know where they were being kept.

    We are concerned that the galamsey activities may escalate in view of the disappearance of the excavators, many of which can find their way back to the illegal mining sites.

    We also regret that although it came to the notice of the taskforce that the excavators have disappeared, no one has yet been arrested in connection with the missing excavators.

    The question to ask therefore, is, “Where are the excavators?”

    We join many Ghanaians calling for full-scale investigation into the matter in order to unravel the circumstances leading to the disappearance of the excavators and if possible, apprehend those responsible for the missing excavators.

    The war against galamsey appears to be floundering and we share the view of many that we are losing the war because some unpatriotic and selfish Ghanaians are working against the well-intended campaign against illegal mining. That is unfortunate.

    We believe however, that, all is not lost yet. The revelation by the chairman of the taskforce is in itself a wake-up call and a rallying point for the entire country to redirect its focus and be more vigorous in the fight against the menace.

    If we do not, we should blame ourselves for letting another opportunity slip by to save the environment.

    We are certain that posterity would judge us harshly if we are unable to enforce the law and stop the irresponsible behaviour by few selfish individuals that is threatening the environment and the future of the present and unborn generations.

    We need answers to the whereabouts of the excavators and we urge the government to investigate and bring all those who are involved to book.

    Source: Ghanaian Times

  • Govt ctee appeals to media and stakeholders to step up advocacy against ‘galamsey’

    The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining has appealed to the media and stakeholders to step up advocacy against galamsey as the 2020 elections approaches.

    Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Project Coordinator for the Committee, Dr Naa Dedei Tagoe said since 2020 is an election year, the miners can blackmail the appointees of the government with votes.

    Read: Galamsey forcing GWCL to consider shutting down Daboase plant

    This, she said could erode all the gains made in the fight so far, hence the need for the media and other stakeholders to keep the advocacy on.

    Dr Tagoe argued that illegal mining is a fight that needs to be sustained adding “the people on the ground need to know that we are serious about it.”

    Reports however, say the menace is back after it was quelled months ago due to a joint police-military taskforce, Operation Vanguard and a total ban on small-scale mining altogether.

    Anti Galamsey Military Deployment

    The ban on small-scale mining has since been lifted.

    Meanwhile a former Deputy Finance Minister Mona Quartey, who is currently a Director of Golden Star Resources, has charged the Committee to vividly illustrate to local communities that engaging in illegal mining activities is destroying their communal resources.

    Read: Sack MMDCEs of galamsey-prone areas Ken Ashigbey

    Galamsey back Oda

    Speaking on Newsfile, she said they could even use visuals to show them how their communities would look after the devastating effects of illegal mining hits.

    “The people who do the mining would leave and you would be living in hell,” she said.

     

    Source: myjoyonline 

  • Three Chinese nationals arrested for engaging in illegal mining

    Three Chinese nationals have been arrested for allegedly engaging in illegal mining at Fahiakobo, a town in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.

    The three were arrested on Monday, January 6, 2020, by the Operation Vanguard Ashanti Forward Operating Base (FOB), led by Officer Commanding (OC), Captain AD Kabenla.

    The suspects are; Li Fei Chin, 35, Qiang Zhong-Wu, 42 and Li Yanwong, 47.

    Government purchases speed boats to fight galamsey

    The joint military-police Anti-Galamsey Taskforce team in a statement said 3 pump-action guns, 14 cartridges of AAA Rounds, 5 Gold detectors, 5 metal detectors, 14 handheld radio communication gadgets and 6 water pumping machines were retrieved from the suspects.

    Other items seized included 3 car batteries, 2 large size waterholes, 1 excavator monitor, 1 excavator control board, 6 buckets of gear oil, a bucket of grease, tools box and 2 digital scales.

    According to the statement, the seized items have been sent to Ashanti FOB storehouse pending further investigation while the three Chinese citizens were handed over to the Obuasi Divisional Police Command for investigation and prosecution.

    Nine Chinese arrested for mining illegally

    The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) in September 2019 arrested nine Chinese men for allegedly engaging in illegal mining operations in Kwakyiekrom in the Ashanti Region.

    Galamsey Law: Illegal miners face 25 years in jail Akufo-Addo

    Items confiscated in the operation include a Toyota Land Cruiser, an Excavator, washing carpet, as mall cylinder, refrigerator, gallon, gear oil, scale and two batteries.

    Four Chinese arrested at Prestea Huni Valley

    Some four (4) Chinese nationals were arrested in November 2019 over the same illegal mining issue.

    They were arrested by the Western Forward Operation Base (FOB) of the National Anti-Galamsey Task Force at Asumpa, in the Prestea Huni Valley District.

    Source: citinewsroom.com