Bibiani violence: Self-Styled Chief Exposed! -For mobilising armed thugs to wreak havoc

Details have emerged of how a former destooled Chief of Bibiani in the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area of the Western North Region, Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom, allegedly gave loads of guns and other offensive weapons to thugs numbering about sixty-nine (69) to shoot some prominent chiefs and traditional office holders in the glare of police officers.

The hired thugs were on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, reported to have fired shots at some prominent chiefs who included the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area (SATA) who also doubles as the President of National House of Chiefs (NHCs), Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, Abusuapanyin Nana Kyem Kofi, Krontihene, Nana Anarfi Abebio, and the Chief of Bibiani Hwenampori, Nana Ebiri Kwaku III.

They exhibited this heinous crime in Bibiani ostensibly, to prevent the chiefs and elders of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area from performing some very important traditional rituals to purify the river gods to pave way for the commercial operation of Mensin Gold Bibiani Limited, a multinational mining company.

Audio recordings in possession of this paper have exposed how Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom secretly planned and mobilised a number of thugs in Bibiani and its surrounding communities to visit the attack on these chiefs and their elders.

The thugs were said to have visited the mayhem on these chiefs and their elders in the presence of the Western North Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Mr. Ernest Akrasi Mensah, and his team who confirmed the incident but did not provide further details.

Speaking in an interview, the Western North Regional Police Commander said: “Yes it is true. I am currently on the ground trying to deal with the issue.”

According to the sources close to the police, who were on the scene of the incident, the target of the hired thugs led by a Burkina Faso national, one Mossi, was to kill these aforementioned prominent chiefs.

But in the ensuing melee, the bullets rather hit five other persons who sustained severe gunshot wounds, amidst tension, insecurity, fear and panic.

The frightening situation, according to our sources, was creating fear amongst the chiefs and people of Bibiani albeit armed police have been deployed to enforce peace in the area.

Narrating their ordeals in an interview with DAILY Analyst via telephone call on Thursday, July 21, 2022, the Chief of Bibiani Hwenampori, Nana Ebiri Kwaku III, stated that the armed thugs hired by Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom fired gunshots at them while at the bank of River Mensin to perform some rituals to seek spiritual protection for the operation of Mensin Gold Bibiani Limited.

He noted that Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom, who has been parading himself as the Chief of Bibiani, has been destooled since the Bibiani township itself does not have a chieftaincy status per the historical structures, traditions and customs of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.

"Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom is claiming to be the Chief of Bibiani but per the traditional and historical structures, there is no chieftaincy title in Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area called "Bibianihene, so we don't know where Nana Ngoa Ayima came to be a Chief in Bibiani," he stressed.

Nana Ebiri Kwaku III explained that Bibiani is an area which has various divisional chiefs under the umbrella body of the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area.

He said about eight years ago, when the Noble Gold Bibiani Limited was sold, there was a rift between the shareholders and owners of the gold mining company about the new name that they were supposed to choose for the company.

Initially, according to the chief, both parties tried to name the company after a particular river in Bibiani called River Amponsah.

But there was an argument to the effect that the name Amponsah was a common name with the indication that there were more people bearing the name Amponsah.

Along this line, Nana Ebiri Kwaku III noted that the two parties thought otherwise that in future somebody can connive to use the name Amponsah since it was a common name to proclaim the ownership of the company.

Following this development, he said the parties rejected the name and were looking for another traditional name from Bibiani enclaves to name the company.

According to him, after a thorough deliberation, the parties proposed another name- Mensin-which is the traditional name of a river in Bibiani.

He stated that the two parties thus agreed to this new name, hence officially named the mine after Mensin River which has its current name Mensin Gold Bibiani Limited.
Formerly, according to Nana Ebiri Kwaku III, the mine in Bibiani started with Ashanti Gold Ghana Limited, South Africa Gold Limited Noble Gold Bibiani Limited.

He indicated that when the current company was named after Mensin River, the accredited traditional authorities and chiefs went to the river to perform some necessary rituals to purify the river gods since the owners of the company were using the name of the Mensin River for the company.

"So my uncles, Nana Anarfi Ababio, the late Nana Kofi Awuah Odikro of Adakye and Nana Ebiri Kwaku III by the powers of the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi and other prominent chiefs went to the bank of the Mensin River and traditionally performed some purifications some eight years ago," he recounted.

“So after that rituals some eight years ago, the mining company begun to use the name Mensin River. Consequently, the company started operations and was able to discover more gold. Then it was agreed that the traditional authorities would come back to perform same rituals to give thanks to the river gods.”

"So last year when the company had some investors and started full commercial operations, more gold were discovered.”

“However, when the owners of the company informed the traditional authorities that they would be working in Bibiani gold concession for about 50 years, we, the traditional office holders in the area, were very excited. And in return, the company provided the items that we requested to perform the necessary purification to give thanks and appease the gods of the river.” 

According to him, three days to the purification rituals, they had hints the destooled Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom was raining curses upon them in at his shrine.

“We had the video containing his curses on us, vowing that he would not allow us to go to the premises of Mensin River to perform those rituals.”

"When the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area who doubles as the President of National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, heard the voice of Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom in the video, he quickly informed both the Bibiani District Police Command and the Western North Regional Police Command of the date they would perform the rituals for the gods.” 

Following this development, the police assured members of the traditional authorities adequate protection to allow them perform those rituals.

"On Monday July 19, 2022, the chief stated that they were hinted that Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom was mobilising some armed people to come to banks of the Mensin River to prevent us from performing the rituals for the mine.

…But, on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, we went there with our local security to perform the rituals, police officers numbering about 50 including the Western North Regional Commander”.

He indicated that "When we got there, the organised thugs of Nana Ngoa Ayima Kodom besieged the ground and tried to prevent us from performing the rituals but the police came in and told us that they respect everybody so if the thugs can hold on for us to perform the rituals, but they resisted which degenerated into a serious argument on the ground between us and the thugs."

Nana Ebiri Kwaku III lamented that he and his family are danger and called President Akufo-Addo to impress upon the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to deploy police officers to give security protection since the thugs are looking for him to harm him.

The chief stated he already moved his children and wife from his private house in Bibiani Hwenampor for fear of being attacked by the thugs who said are still looking for him as their target.

Against this background, Nana Ebiri Kwaku III called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to set an independent investigation committee to probe into gun shooting incident in Bibiani.