A Divisional Chief of Nkroful, Nana Kwasi Kutuah III, has accused the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzo, of being complicit in illegal mining activities, popularly known as ‘Galamsey,” which has caused havoc to forests, lands and water bodies in the area.
According to the chief, the DCE has power to stop illegal mining in the area, most especially at Anwia and Taleku-Bokazo, where galamsey has caused grave destruction in the area, but he has turned deaf ears, simply because he was complicit in the trade.
Addressing a press conference in reaction to an earlier one held by the DCE, Nana Kwasi Kutuah, the chief, alleged and recounted on a number of occasions how the DCE came to him to ask him to release land for mining.
According to the chief, DCE Bonzo, together with someone he (DCE) introduced as President of the Small Scale Miners Association, came to his Palace to ask him (Nana) to allow the person to go and mine in his concession.
The chief said he asked the DCE to show the documents covering the said Small Scale President’s concession on his land.
But he could not produce any. As a result, the DCE appealed that the chief to allow him to go and work on his concession, as he tries to secure the documents covering the concession.
In another instance, Nana Kutuah also narrated at the press conference how he stopped the DCE, after the latter allegedly took two excavators to mine for alluvial gold on his land.
“I called to tell him to go and remove the excavators from my land,” the chief narrated.
The Chronicle cannot independently confirm the accusation.
However, the chief’s press conference was in reaction to an earlier one held by the DCE, where he announced that two directors of CIC Impest, a company recommended by the Nkroful Palace to reclaim land around Nkroful Agriculture Senior High School (NASS), have been rounded up by the DCE for engaging in illegal mining.
Three excavators belonging to the said company were seized in addition.
DCE Bonzo, in reaction to the accusation, told this reporter in a telephone interview that CIC Impest was recommended to the Assembly by the Nkroful chief to approve the company (CIC) goes to reclaim destroyed land.
So, as DCE, he referred the said letter from the Nkroful Palace to the Assembly’s Technical Committee, which sat on the letter for six months. That was in 2023.
In approving the request, DCE Bonzo told this reporter that the technical committee instructed that there should not be any mining activity in the area.
However, the company flouted the directive given, and on October 6, 2024 two directors were arrested for engaging in illegal mining.
DCE Bonzo told this reporter that he could not understand why Nkroful Palace and the Chief would take offence over the arrest of the two directors of CIC, for them to accuse him of being complicit in illegal mining.
DCE Bonzo confirmed that he took the National President of the Small Scale Miners Association to meet the Nkroful chief, over the former’s concession in the area. But it is not correct that the president did not have documents covering his concession.
Nana Kwasi Kutuah explained howthe two CIC directors were arrested. He said when the Assembly gave approval for CIC to reclaim the land, the Company Director asked how the Assembly would fuel their equipment for the exercise, and the DCE reportedly told them that any material they found whilst desilting should be processed to take care of their fuel for the exercise.
Bonzo also denied that the Nkroful chief had formed a task force with the intent of arresting and seizing mining equipment.
According to DCE, who is DISEC Chairman, he was not aware of the Taskforce, nor was he aware of the Police.
The chief had told the conference a task force formed by his palace had succeeded in arresting and seizing mining equipment used by the illegal miners. He also informed the conference that the Task Force had received support from the District Assembly.
