Residents, farmers fight chief over galamsey at Numesua

Correspondence from Ashanti Region

Nana Kwadwo Mogyie, the chief of Numesua in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region has been accused by his people of allegedly selling lands and allowing illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey to take over the area.

The residents of which most are farmers said the activities of these illegal

Read full articleminers have been destroying their farmlands, water bodies, and the forest.

According to the angry residents and farmers in the community, they will keep on protesting against their chief until he stops tolerating the illegal miners in the area for his parochial interest.

Lamenting over the effects of the illegal mining activities, the farmers said these miners have been destroying their cocoa farms, water bodies, and land with impunity. They are therefore calling on the appropriate authorities to intervene before they do the worst things against their chief and the miners.

According to them, they will chase the miners and the chief out of the community should they see no changes.

Most of the farmers who spoke to this reporter said they were soon going to spit very dangerous saliva against the chief and his galamsey apparatchiks.

"Why must you seek strangers' selfish interest at the expense of your own people's wellbeing? We are tired of these behaviors of our chief", the farmers said.

"The most annoying thing is that, whenever you complain, the chief will never mind you. Sometimes the answer he gives is very irritating. He mostly defends the illegalities".

Meanwhile, some of the farmers further disclosed that their thorough investigations have it that these miners have no proper documents to back their activities.

The group leader, Agya Dan who led the media to the mining site said some of the farmers have had their cocoa farms destroyed by these illegal miners without their consent.

He further disclosed that the galamseyers who invaded the town with over 5 to 10 excavators were still in the bushes destroying people's properties.

The fearless residents and farmers further alleged that some persons known as Alhaji and Adams are the people behind the illegal mining activities.

They added that they were digging and clearing everything that came their way, including, trees, water bodies, and houses.

"They have even threatened to clear anyone who dares 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 over the illegalities. Shockingly, the chief told us that what was happening here had permission from Manhyia and even the Tepa Municipal Assembly", a resident said.

However, according to the farmers, thorough checks done by the Minerals Commission in Kumasi had exposed that all the assertions by the chief were false.

They are therefore calling on the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, the Minerals Commission, and the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to as a matter of urgency launch an investigation into the behavior of the chief concerning these matters and apply the needed sanctions.

Meanwhile, several attempts to get reactions from the chief have been proven futile.

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