Betrayal of the poor citizen under disguise of illegal mining fight (part 1)

Adnan Adams Mohammed
At the upheave of the illegal and
small scale mining in Ghana which brought many negative impacts on the lives of
some people, water bodies, forests, farms and child labour and exploitation,
some concerned citizens and international bodies kicked against the
exploitative mining sector which forced the government of Ghana to heed to the
call and set up an inter-ministerial taskforce to stop the illegal and small
scale mining.
This, also, denied millions of
cedis of those who were engaged in mining as a means of livelihood and economic
power. But to the surprise of many Ghanaian and the international community,
the top government officials including ministers who pretend to be protecting
the poor were rather engaged in the illegal and small scale mining while
selling the excavators seized from the poor citizens and some Chinese miners at
absurdly cheap price as low as GHC50,000 (US$9,500) to their New Patriotic
Party loyalist and friends, according to a leaked tape shared by one of the top-officials of the ruling party.
"I have video recordings of
all the people. I did the illegal mining (Galamsey; as called in the local
parlance) with. John Boadu (National General Secretary of NPP), Prof
Frimpong Boateng (Minister of Environment, Science and Technology and also the
chairman of the inter-ministerial taskforce to end illegal), Chairman Wontumi
(Ashanti Regional Chairman of NPP), Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (Minister of
Information) etc.
"I won't go down alone. Even
if I have to release the video of my meeting with the President, I will do
that. We agreed to operate Galamsey to finance the party so why are they trying
to sacrifice me? Is it because I am not Akyem? We will all go down", said
Horace Ekow Ewusi, NPP Vice Chairman for Central Region who was first arrested
by the Ghana Police Service in connection to the alleged missing 500 seized
excavators.
Horace Ekow Ewusi |
This, having brought serious
indictment to the ruling government has forced the President of Ghana, Nana
Akuffo Addo to authorize the Attorney General and the Inspector General of
Ghana Police Service to arrest names of the ministers and top government officials
mentioned in the leaked tape through a press release signed by Director of
Communication at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin.
"The President took this
decision after having watched the trending video of the minister in a
conversation with the first vice-chairman of the NPP in Central region, over
how some seized excavators were to be sent to 'galamsey' (illegal mining) sites
own by one " Wontumi"", the statement said.
"It is the expectations of
the President that all the excavators will be located and retrieved from the 'galamsey' sites were they are currently being used in the search for gold", the
statement added.
Prof Frimpong Boateng |
But, unfortunately, the President
is not concerned with illegal mining these officials are engaged which has
destroyed the environment and water bodies making it difficult for Ghana Water
Company to treat and supply good drinking water to citizens within the mining
catchment areas.
In a more revealing account, another accused person narrated, “I worked with the Central Regional Security
Coordinator, John Ofori Atta a.k.a Commando as his errand boy and part of the
team Galam Stop. In the course of the operation, I became the contact boy for
the miners whose excavators had been seized. The miners pay between GHS50, 000
and GHS55, 000 into my account at NIB to influence the team for the seized
excavators to be released. I then inform the team about the payment of the
monies into my account, which I withdraw and give to Mr Ofori Atta who then
give some to Mr Ekow Ewudzie of the Inter-Ministerial Committee.”
“I can estimate so far that we
have released close to between 270 to 300 excavators undercover but the money
paid to my accounts have all been withdrawn and given to Mr Ofori Atta a.k.a
Commando”, Seth Mantey, a reporter with Peace FM, a local radio
popular station.
This confirmed the dubious
dealings the top government officials were involved under the disguise of fighting
the poor citizens in illegal mining.
An owner of one of the missing
excavators, Michael Boateng is still in shock as to how his heavy-duty
equipment was sold but made to believe that the equipment was been used “for
party [NPP] work” at an unknown destination.
“My excavator had to travel from
Obuasi when it was seized by the government taskforce to Accra. I followed it to
Accra with all documents to retrieve it and that was when I heard of Ekow Ewusi
as the man in charge of all seized excavators and other equipment,” he narrated
in an interview with NEAT FM’s, a local radio station in Accra.
Michael Boateng, however, alarmed
that, he went through ‘hell’ in an attempt to get back his excavator.
“I was even willing to pay any
amount for it,” he said – adding that “my friend paid as much as GhC55,000 to
retrieve his own.”
Boateng who is still searching for
his excavator, also claims that “When the task force raided my home, they drove
away from my Pickup truck and the number plate has been changed by Ekow Ewusi
who is using it now.”
Before this unfounded events
clearly giving evidence to the long-standing rumours of government officials
engaged in illegal mining despite the government's public 'window dressing' of
fighting it, there was a journalistic undercover exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas
which captured a top official at the Jubilee House (seat of President), Charles
Bissue, who was caught bribing the joint military and police operation team to
be allowed to do his illegal mining somewhere last year.
However, the Criminal
Investigation Department of the Ghana Police which investigated the, Charles
Bissue, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal
Mining cleared him of any wrongdoing or corruption, despite the Special
Prosecutor's, Martin Alamisi BK Amidu, opposition to the CID to undertake such
investigation.
The CID cleared Charles Bissue
after it concluded its four-month investigation into Tiger Eye PI’s allegations
levelled against him.
According to Daily Graphic
reports, a report clearing Bissue from the allegations stated that, the
documentary which showed him taking money from undercover reporters was not a true reflection of what transpired between Bissue and the assigns of the said ORR
Resource Enterprise.
The report also stated that Anas
Aremeyaw Anas failed to cooperate with the CID in the course of the
investigations.
The raw and unedited footage which
was demanded by the CID from the journalist was not submitted.
Anas, however, stated in a reaction that, he had submitted the said raw and unedited footage to the
office of the Special Prosecutor. To the extent that the Office of Special
Prosecutor is a statutory body and has taken possession of the raw footage, if
the police investigators were minded, they could obtain a copy from the OSP.
The Special Prosecutor in a letter
to oppose the investigation by the CID stated, "the decision of the Police
CID to investigate a presidential staffer, despite his opposition, is
political."
He said, he had written to the
police and copied the Interior Ministry as well as the seat of government, the
Jubilee House, on the matter.
Charles Bissue's name has come up
again in the narration of Prof Frimpong Boateng, who said, he was introduced to
Ekow Ewusi by Charles Bissue. This gives credence to the Anas investigative
footage.
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