Residents of Akrokerri in the Adansi North District in the Ashanti region are up in arms against illegal mining in the enclave.
They are angry with Nana Serwaa Bruwaa, Queen mother of Akrokerri and Nana Kofi Berchie, Gyasehene and regent of Akrokerri, who they have accused of failing to stop the illegal practice.
They have been in charge of affairs as far as the Akrokerri sub-Traditional Council is concerned since 2001, when the late chief, Nana Asare Bediako II passed on.
The residents have accused the traditional leadership of superintending over illegal mining activities in the Akrokerri Stool lands, which are bounded on the North by Bekwai and Dunkwa on the Southern boundary, along the Offin River.
As a result of the development and the Queen mother’s apathy in addressing the galamsey canker, the residents are contemplating going on a demonstration to draw the attention of the authorities to the prevailing conditions in the community.
They have appealed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to intervene and call them to order and stop the traditional leadership in its tracks, to help save the people from the hazardous effects of illegal mining.
According to them, the traditional leadership has not put in place any pragmatic measures to fight the galamsey menace in the area.
Illegal mining activities are commonplace in Akrokerri and surrounding communities where several acres of Asakyire-Bonkyi Stool lands, across the Adansi enclave, have allegedly been sold to the illegal miners.
At Domeabra, a suburb in the community, the miners are using dynamites to break the rocks in an old concession of Goldstone mining firm to access gold nuggets, at the expense of residents whose houses are developing cracks from the explosives.
At Bronikrom, near Akrokerri, houses are precariously sitting on a time bomb as the miners have dug pits beneath them to extract gold.
The Community Water system has broken down, following the illegal mining activities.
The Queen mother’s source of water for domestic use from the boreholes she constructed at the cost of GHc10,000 have been rendered useless, as the miners have diverted the flow of water from her facility for their activities.
Despite this, the Queen mother would also not budge even when she lost her own brother who fell in an uncovered mine pit a few metres from her Akrokerrifie residence.
Two weeks ago, Nana Serwaa Bruwaa allegedly engaged machomen and land guards to assault some residents of Wamase, when they resisted attempts to take over their farmlands to sell for illegal mining activities.
Reacting to the allegations, Nana Serwaa Bruwaa denied complicity in the galamsey operations, but admitted that she is aware the menace is ongoing in her jurisdiction, except that her efforts to fight it have been insignificant.
The Queen mother, who defended the allegations through a spokesperson, Asubonteng, claimed she is a farmer and does not indulge in illegal mining.
She, however, said a number of complaints have been made to the police, but the miners are not deterred as they threatened to deal with her for standing in their way, hence her inaction to effectively deal with the situation.
She also believed troublemakers in the chieftaincy dispute among the royal family members are seeking to tarnish her image by the allegations, because her son is about to be enstooled the chief of Akrokerri, at the instance of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, hence the smear campaign against her.
Nana Serwaa Bruwaa said she has not received any consideration from galamsey operators and explained that other unscrupulous members of the extended family might be collecting such monies from the illegal miners in her name.
She also confirmed the reported assault of residents of Wamase by macho men, but said she has no hand in it, and mentioned that the Assemblyman for the Wamase electoral area is privy to the incident.
According to her, she cannot sell the lands at Wamase because an Odikro is the custodian of the community.
Meanwhile, The Chronicle has gathered that the Fomena NPP constituency chairman, Mr. Akwasi Adom, is fronting for illegal miners whose operations are affecting the livelihoods of residents.
He goes round paying compensation of GHc5,000 to residents for the nuisance and inconvenience caused by the blasts of dynamites in the neighbourhood, which complicity is evident by a conversation on tape with one of the residents when he paid the amount with the promise of paying additional monies with time.
His complicity explains why the queen mother is unable to fight illegal mining at Akrokerri and neighbouring communities for fear of reprisal.
