Engineers & Planners are now free to go for their seized mining equipment from the police, Deputy Ashanti regional Minister Elisabeth Agyeman has said.

The heavy-duty earth-moving machines were seized from mining firm Exton Cubic upon the directives of regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah in August at a mining concession at Nyinihini.

They have been in the custody of the Nkawie Police station since then.

Mr Osei-Mensah had the equipment impounded with reason that Exton Cubic had no right to mine bauxite in the area since, according to him, nothing showed on paper that the company had been permitted to do so.

He said at the time that he would only have the equipment released if Exton Cubic proved that it had been granted the legal permit and lease to mine in the concession.

Lands and Natural Resources Minister John Peter Amewu recently revoked the mining lease of Exton Cubic with reason that the company failed to meet certain conditions.

Subsequently, Ms Elisabeth Agyeman has revealed that the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has decided to release the machines to E&P owned by former President John Mahama’s brother – Ibrahim.

She told Abusua FM’s Abusua Nkommo hosted by Kwame Adinkra on Thursday, 7 September that REGSEC no longer has any issue with E&P so they can go for their equipment, adding that REGSEC will officially write to the company to that effect.