Residents of Mfante, Asikam, Subriso, Numesua and adjoining communities in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region are appealing to government to intervene in an alleged forceful takeover of a community mining site.
The said community mining site at Mfante serves as a major source of livelihood for over 5,000 people.
But the site has been taken over by individuals claiming to be operatives of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) without any proper explanation or identification, leaving many workers stranded.
The said NAIMOS operatives according to the residents, came with bulldozers and asked everyone to leave immediately paving way for some individuals to work on site, under the protection of the ‘NAIMOS officials’.
Addressing the media, Benard Agyei, Spokesperson for the residents, disclosed that the community mining is the only source of livelihood for the 5,000 people from the affected communities.
Mr. Agyei pleaded with the government to come to their aid, stressing that their mining activities are environmentally responsible and that they were in the process of procuring a legal license before the takeover.
He called for urgent government intervention to investigate the matter and restore accessibility to the site, noting that if the situation is not addressed, it would plunge the various communities into severe economic hardship.
From Oswald P. Freiku, Mfante
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