Residents and farmers in Numesua, a farming community in the Ahafo Ano North Municipality of the Ashanti Region, have staged a protest against their chief for allowing illegal mining activities to take place in his area.
According to the farmers, the mining activities ongoing in the area are destroying their cocoa farms and water bodies, hence calling on the appropriate authorities to intervene before they chase the miners and their chief out of the community.
The farmers, close to 500, who were in red bands, stormed the community river bank to pour libations, calling on the ancestors to deal with whoever was destroying the river.
They accused their chief, Nana Kwadwo Mogyie, of allegedly giving their farmlands to some miners who are illegally mining and destroying the community mainstream.
The group leader, Agya Dan who led the media to the mining site said; “Illegal miners popularly known as galamseyers have invaded our town with over 5 to 10 excavators and are destroying our God-given vegetation with impunity”.
Mentioning Alhaji and Adams, the farmers stated that “they are digging everywhere and clearing everything and anything that stands in their way, including trees that have taken centuries to grow, water bodies, houses, and even threatening those who dare to stand in their way.”
“When we heard that galamsey activities were going on in our village, we quickly called the Chief of the town Nana Kwadwo Mogyie”
“The Chief told us that what is happening here has permission from Manhyia and even Tepa Municipal Assembly has also given them a permit,” he added.
One of the farmers lamented that they had done their checks from the Minerals Commission in Kumasi and pointed to the fact that the assertion by the chief of the town that the government of Ghana and Manhyia was false.
They are calling upon the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei Mensah, the Minerals Commission, and the Asantehene Otumfour Osei Tutu II to institute an inquiry into the behaviour of the Chief concerning these matters and apply the needed sanctions.
