Angama Tuagyan has no capacity to ban Okoben Mining - Principal And Elders Of Gwira

Principal Kingmakers and accredited elders of Amankrapanyin family who are the allodial owners of the Gwira Traditional Stool in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality of the Western Region have called on general public, particularly the citizens of the area to disregard the reports which went viral that the Gwira Traditional Council has banned the gold mining activities of Okoben Mining Company Limited.

In a statement released on Thursday, February 2, 2023, the Principal Head of the
Mankrapanyin family, Nana Alu Menza lll, stressed that Angama Tuagyan has his chieftaincy status challenged in Senkodi High Court and that he is recognized as the Paramount Chief of the Gwira Traditional Council.

He added that the embattled chief has no chieftaincy and traditional capacity to ban Okoben Mining Company which has been mining legally and lawfully in the area for almost 25 years ago without violating the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006(ACT 703).

He indicated that per the traditions and customs of the area, when the chief was installed, it is the prerogatives of the Gwira Traditional Area to first give the chief a chieftaincy gazette clearance forms to fill with the necessary endorsements of the registrar and some key chiefs and elders before such chief can have power to present the forms to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi for final approval.

Nana Alu menza lll said that the traditional authorities through the Registrar Mr. Mastison have not given him the gazette clearance forms to him since his chieftaincy status has been challenged.

He pointed out that Mr. Mastison and Adotenhene of the area who had the traditional authorities and capacities to sign or endorse the clearance forms for the embattled chief have refused to do so with the reason that the chieftaincy status of Angama Tuagyan is questionable.

He revealed that the personal secretary of the chief and other chiefs in the area who are not legally gazetted were the chiefs who had signed the gazette clearance forms on behalf of the Gwira Traditional Council to be sent to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi which attested to the fact that Angama Tuagyan has secured his gazette through fraudulent means.

He indicated that the gazette secured by Angama Tuagyan was completely rejected by the various accredited and principal kingmakers including the prominent chiefs in the Gwira Traditional Council.

Against this background, Nana Alu menza lll urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and general public to disregard the claims by Angama Tuagyan that the traditional authorities of Gwira have banned the Okoben Mining Company Limited from mining on its gold mining concession at Dominase.

"It is a high time we call on our President, His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is very passionate about fighting illegal mining activities in the country to set up a committee to investigate the mafia tactics of some top shots of the officials of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and senior police officers in the region to stop Axim Police to prosecute Illegal miners who were arrested at Okoben Mines gold Concession In Dominase on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.

"We are calling on you as our President to intervene in this matter to ensure that justice prevails because some galamseyers in the Western Region were arrested for committing the same offenses.

"However these illegal miners were arrested, prosecuted, and jailed and are currently serving their jail terms in the prison. So the questions to be asked did it means that these galamseyers who were jailed don't have NPP top officials of the ruling NPP to the front for the offenses they had committed that is why they were jailed.

"....our President must wake up now if indeed he wants to fight for illegal mining activities. We are urging our President to ensured that the illegal miners who were arrested and granted bail for unlawful invading the gold mining concession of Okoben Mining Company Limited at Dominase should also face the full rigour of the law to serve as a deterrent to others," the citizens appealed to President Akufo-Addo.