Two private security guards of Earl Group were held hostage in the company’s underground mine at Gbane in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, while the guards were on duty. The perpetrators are believed to be illegal miners.
It comes barely a week after the Minerals Commission resolved a dispute between the company and Nalaamtaba Enterprise over portions of the mining concession.
Earl International Mining Group warns that further delay in enforcing regulatory directives deepens safety risks underground and threatens a major mining investment. The company is calling on the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to intervene to protect jobs and investments.
The Minerals Commission had earlier intervened in the conflict, which had caused tension in the area for over eight weeks. That intervention saved lives and property and restored calm to the mining community.
However, Earl Group says unknown persons have now encroached on its underground operations and taken its guards hostage. The situation has since calmed following the intervention of state security agencies in the Upper East Region.
In an official statement, the company said the illegality has escalated beyond the disputed area into a total takeover of its active operational zones.
According to the statement, dozens of persons identifying themselves as workers of Nanlamtaaba Enterprise have been invading the underground workings with weapons including guns, cutlasses, scissors and metal cables to forcibly occupy active production faces.
The company is urging Government, regulatory agencies and stakeholders to urgently enforce the Cease and Vacate Order and restore full operational control to Earl Group. It is also appealing for immediate and sustained security in the concession to prevent further invasion and to guarantee worker safety.
Full Statement by Earl International Mining Group:
*HEIGHTENED THREAT TO MINE SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY – URGENT CALL FOR ACTION*
_Earl News / By Azongo Albert_
Earl Group wishes to draw the attention of Government, the media and the general public to a disturbing and escalating security situation within our lawful mining concession.
For several weeks, an entity called Nanlamtaaba Enterprise has carried out continuous illegal mining within our concession. This is in flagrant violation of a Notice to Cease Mining Operations and Vacate the Gbane Mining Area, issued by the Minerals Commission with the approval of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
The Enterprise’s deliberate disregard for the Commission’s directives, and its operation without a valid Mining Lease, Operating Permit, Environmental Permit, Explosives Permit and other regulatory approvals, is a clear affront to state authority.
This illegality has escalated into a total takeover of our underground operational areas, which lie significantly outside the disputed area. Dozens of persons claiming to be workers of Nanlamtaaba Enterprise continue to invade our underground workings with dangerous weapons to forcibly occupy active production faces.
In the latest incident, two of our private guards on underground duty on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, were seized by persons linked to the Enterprise.
As the sole holder of the Mining Lease for Gbane, Earl Group remains law-abiding. We have exercised maximum restraint and ordered our guards not to retaliate, to avoid injuries underground. This restraint reflects our respect for and confidence in the Minerals Commission and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to resolve the matter.
We acknowledge and appreciate the steps taken so far by the Minerals Commission and the Ministry. However, further delay increases safety risks and threatens the survival of a major investment.
We therefore call on Government, regulatory agencies and stakeholders to urgently enforce the Cease and Vacate Order and restore full control to Earl Group. We appeal to the security agencies to provide immediate and sustained protection for the concession to prevent re-invasion and ensure the safety of our workers.
Earl Group remains committed to responsible, safe and lawful mining in partnership with regulatory authorities.
By Tanko Mohammed Rabiu
