Tension is brewing in Gwirabanso, a farming community in Evalue Gwira in the Western Region of Ghana as residents especially the youth of the town are pointing accusing fingers at the Director of the Minerals Commission in the Region, the District Immigration officer, the District Police Commander and the Chief of the town for granting permit to illegal Chinese miners to mine in the community.
The residents who have expressed their concerns allege that the refusal of the Chief, Nana Nboamah to sack these Chinese miners from the area is as result of the percentages he together with other officers including the security agencies takes from the Chinese miners.
The people hinted that, they are aware of some arrangement between the Chief, Director of the Minerals Commission in the Region, the Immigration officer, the Regional Police Commander and the Chinese miners to give some percentage of their proceeds from the mining activity to them so as to keep protecting their (Chinese miners) interest.
According to the residents, Nana Gyan Nboamah is paid 15% of all the proceeds these Chinese make in their mining activities in the area.
The residents have on several occasions appealed to the Chief to sack all Chinese illegal miners from the town or face their wrath.
Their appeals seem to have fallen on deaf ears since the Chinese are still on site mining.
“Our Chief has brought in the Chinese to mine in the community because he is benefiting from the activities of the Chinese. That is why he is refusing to sack them or take any action against them,” a resident said in anger.
The angry youth of the town noted that although they have complained to the Minerals Commission in the District as well as the District and Regional Police over the activities of the Chinese miners in their community, nothing has been done about it.
They further alleged that the behavior of the Minerals Commission and the show that they are in support of the Chief who allowed the Chinese to invade their community.
The people complained that pits dug by the miners were left uncovered which had claimed the lives of some residents.
They also mentioned that the land has been degraded and no attempt is made by the miners to restore the land making it very difficult for them (residents) to use the land for other productive projects so as to improve their living.
Gwirabanso residents say, illegal mining activities pose a major security threat to the their town and region since the operations of illegal miners in the region had considerably damaged the environment and polluted major rivers such as Ankobra, Bonsa and other water bodies which serve as sources of drinking water.
They have vowed to fight the Chinese miners in the community if they continue to stay in the town for the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, when the District police commander and the Migration Officer were contacted they debunked the allegations by the residents and stressed that they have been making arrests.
They also made a counter allegation that some residents have teamed up with the Chinese by feeding them with information any time the Police wanted to effect an arrest.
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