The investigator in the illegal mining case against NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Wontumi’s Akonta mining, has told the Accra High Court that armed men led by the former General Manager in Akonta Mining, branded vehicles, accosted and held officials from the Forestry Commission hostage until seized equipment were returned to them.
The investigator is the prosecution’s second witness in the illegal mining case against Akonta Mining, Wontumi and two others.
The quartet have been charged with illegally mining in a forest reserve, facilitating illegal mining operations and building mining structures in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
They have pleaded not guilty and are out on bail while the third and fourth accused remain at large.
During his testimony as the prosecution’s second witness, Chief Inspector Eugene Akpo Glover, among other things, submitted that investigations revealed that though Wontumi applied for a mining lease to mine in portions of the Tano Nimiri forest reserve, the Lands Minister had not given any approval at the time Akonta Mining began its operations in the area.
The witness further noted that checks with the Mineral’s Commission in November 2022 confirmed the assertion. He affirmed that after Wontumi was invited to the CID headquarters for questioning, the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman claimed he had obtained a gazette but failed to produce the document when probed further.
During cross-examination, Chief Inspector Glover indicated that some Forestry Commission officials, journalists, chiefs and staff of Samartex were held hostage by heavily armed men led by former Akonta Mining Manager Edward Akuoko in the company’s branded vehicles after the team seized equipment from the concession.
“As part of my investigations, I uncovered that on August 17, 2022, a team of officials from the Forestry Commission some Chiefs of Samreboi, media personnel and staff of Samartex proceeded to the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve to ascertain whether A1 had indeed entered Compartment 161 of the forest reserve to undertake mining activities.
The team passed through four (4) checkpoints illegally mounted in the forest, each with a kiosk bearing A1’s logo. The officials found massive destruction in certain portions of the forest reserve, alongside mining equipment bearing Al’s logos. I wish to tender in evidence pictures of the mining equipment bearing the mark of A 1 found in the forest reserve (Index B series).
When the workers of A1 sighted the team, they fled the scene, whereupon the Forestry Commission officials seized some of their logistics. On their way out of the forest reserve, the team was accosted by some men armed with assault rifles, shotguns, and machetes who were aboard vehicles branded with A1’s logos.
The armed men held the team hostage for several hours and insisted that all the seized items be returned to them. The armed men, led by Edward Akuoko, managed to retrieve the said equipment from the team,” he explained.
But when Andy Appiah Kubi, lead counsel for Wontumi, suggested to the witness that branded vehicles from the company were not indicative that they belonged to Akonta Mining, the witness responded negatively.
The lawyer further suggested that the equipment which were found in the Tano Nimiri Forest was protective equipment since Akonta Mining was not in the business of mining in the forest reserve, but the witness disagreed.
The case has been adjourned to June 16 for continuation.
By Laud Adu-Asare
